Revised route from Pieve Santo Stefano to Sansepolcro

Carol Sammet’s proposed route is the dotted line above, CAI 22.

Back in 2014 when I researched the route from Pieve Santo Stefano to Sansepolcro I recognized that the biggest challenge was how to reduce the 37km distance of this stage in the official Via di Francesco trail. I talked to locals who told me of the path behind the Euro Hotel that easily connected to the official Cammino di Assisi route for a 25km total to Sansepolcro. I walked it and a couple of other variants and chose the Euro Hotel route with its shaded and gentle grade among young trees with the Tiber River, a wide creek this far north, babbling joyfully below.

Sadly, in 2015 this lovely route was completely logged and all that remained was a narrow path in daylight on a steep bank slowly being choked by weeds. Pilgrims began to report difficulties and dangers as the rains slowly washed away what had once been a gentle and picturesque trail.

Pilgrim Carol Sammet wrote this to me two days ago:

Sandy, we tried to walk today the route from pieve Santo to sansepolcro and found it too dangerous. We found out later you need to pick up CA 22 at the first tunnel under the bridge rather than the trail behind hotel Euro.

In a few days I’ll confirm Carol’s suggestion and make an official revision to my guidebook along with a revised GPX track. But in the meantime I offer Carol’s recommendation to all who are presently in the trail.

As I’ve often said, it takes a village to make a guidebook. Thanks always to everyone whose comments are helping to improve our route.

Here’s how the proposed revision looks on the guidebook map p. 96.

3 thoughts on “Revised route from Pieve Santo Stefano to Sansepolcro

  1. Locals recommended this route to us in October 2015 because of active logging. We followed it. We also thought it was a temporary fix to avoid logging equipment so didn’t mention it to the group.

  2. Glad to see this change posted, Sandy.
    This was a bad day for us in 2016 as we walked about 5 hours and about 24km…all above and behind the hotel. We could not find a trail that worked. The logging made many hazardous areas.
    We ended up back at the hotel. We gave up walked back into town and…for our first time.. took a bus.
    We had walked the equivalent of a stage but had not professed a Km. 😦

    Good to see an alternative offered for this.
    Regards,
    Ed

  3. Sandy, thanks for the updated route info. Hard to believe you can take time to get the word out when you are on the pilgrimage yourself and are responsible for 8 other walkers!

    It was great meeting you in Camaldoli after receiving so much help over the past three years. Your group seems to be having a great time. Their enthusiasm is obvious!

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