The celebrations centre around the Vatican and the Eternal City, but museums, churches and religious routes outside the city prove popular for pilgrims also. Here, we take you through the attractions in Florence and beyond for visitors keen to explore the rich art and history in relation to the Catholic Church, all while exploring Tuscany in a sustainable, respectful way.
Florence and Fiesole
The Jubilee will be celebrated in the following churches in the Dioceses of Florence and Fiesole, where pilgrims will be able to receive the gift of indulgence: Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Florence), Santissima Annunziata (Florence), Santa Verdiana (Castelfiorentino), Santa Maria (Impruneta), Santa Maria (Montesenario), Maria Santissima delle Grazie (San Giovanni Valdarno), Madonna delle Grazie al Sasso (Santa Brigida), Santa Maria Assunta in Cielo (Vallombrosa), San Niccolò (Radda in Chianti) and Santa Maria della Neve e San Domenico (Pratovecchio).
The Jerusalem of San Vivaldo
The picturesque town of Montaione grants wide-ranging views over the Valdelsa Empolese plain. Here, you’ll find The Holy Mount of San Vivaldo, a sacred site that has become known as the Jerusalem of San Vivaldo, given that it reproduces the sites of the Holy City on a smaller scale. The Franciscan complex was created in the woods where the blessed Vivaldo Stricchi lived his life as a hermit at the beginning of the 14th century. In 1320, a small church was erected at the site of an oak tree, inside which the body of Vivaldo was found. It was later enlarged and passed to Franciscan friars in 1497, who built a monastery. The Holy Mount was built next to this between 1500 and 1515, designed by Father Tommaso from Florence. Composed of 34 chapels, of which only 18 remain today, you can admire spectacular groups of statues and reliefs in polychrome terracotta, depicting episodes from the life of Christ.
Pistoia: the Santiago of Italy
Since 1145, Pistoia has been a point of reference in the cult of San Giacomo il Maggiore due to the presence of the precious relic of the skull of the Saint, brought by Bishop Atto from Santiago de Compostela. On the occasion of the Jubilee Year, pilgrims will be keen to visit the relic in a reliquary made by Lorenzo Ghiberti in 1407 kept in the Cathedral of San Zeno, in the Chapel of the Judgement. In the same chapel, you can admire the Silver Altar, a masterpiece of goldsmithing. The Cammino di San Jacopo puts Pistoia at the heart of a system of routes that connects Tuscan routes to international ones, such as the Via Romea Strata and the Via Romea Germanica. Pilgrims can admire the artistic, natural and religious treasures of Tuscany before continuing to the port of Livorno, embarking for Barcelona, and following the Catalan Cammino Jacopei to reach Santiago de Compostela in keeping with the centuries-old tradition.
Via Francigena
Connecting Canterbury and Rome, pilgrims travel across the limestone traces through spectacular landscapes, taking in the historical and artistic beauties along the way. The 400-kilometre route is divided into 16 stages and has been undertaken by pilgrims, merchants and travellers for centuries, passing through forests, hills and medieval villages. It dates to 990, when Sigerico, the Archbishop of Canterbury, went to Rome to receive the pallium, the symbol of the pastoral mission, from the Pope. On the way back, he noted the stops of his journey in a travel diary, granting the possibility of reconstructing the route.
