Via degli Dei Multi-day Trek

The Via degli Dei, the Way of the Gods, is a roughly 130-kilometre waymarked trek from Bologna to Florence across the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, following the line of an ancient route once used by Etruscans and later paved by the Romans as the Flaminia Militare. Walkers typically complete it in five to seven days, climbing from Bologna's Piazza Maggiore over forested ridges, crossing the watershed near Passo della Futa, and descending through the Mugello to Florence, with surviving stretches of Roman basalt paving among the highlights. The trek demands moderate hiking fitness rather than technical skill: daily stages of 15-30 kilometres with sustained ascents and descents, on paths that range from easy forest track to rougher, rooty, and occasionally steep sections. It can be self-organised with the official waymarking and a guidebook or GPS track, or booked as a guided or self-guided package that arranges accommodation in agriturismi, B&Bs, and rifugi along the way, plus optional luggage transfer between stages. Walkers carry their own boots, layered clothing, rain gear, sun protection, water, and a day pack; those going self-supported add navigation tools and book beds ahead in the busy season, as villages and refuges are spaced out. Because the route is unguided terrain rather than a supervised activity, walkers are responsible for their own safety: checking the weather, telling someone their plan, carrying a charged phone, and knowing that the Italian emergency number 112 and mountain rescue cover the higher sections. The best window runs April to October; late spring and early autumn bring comfortable temperatures and colour, midsummer can be hot on exposed ridges, and the high stages should be avoided from November to March when snow and ice make them hazardous. Steeped in history and crossing two regions, the Via degli Dei is among central Italy's most rewarding long-distance walks, reaching Florence on foot the way travellers did centuries ago.