The Way of St. Francis of Paola

The Way of St. Francis of Paola is an exciting and not very well known itinerary in the footsteps of St. Francis of Paola, connecting some of the most exciting places in the region.

The Way can be walked in its entirety, or also followed according to its two component routes, the “Via del Giovane” and the “Via dell’Eremita” (the latter can be walked bidirectionally). Either way you will still visit the town of Paola, a wonderful Italian municipality located on the Calabrian coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The Way of St. Francis of Paola starts from the town of San Marco Argentano, which can be reached by bus from Cosenza or Castiglione Cosentino (with FATA Bus), or from Paola(Perrone Bus).

As for connections to the city of Paola, there are many high-speed trains, connecting it to major Italian cities.

Finally, to return from Paterno Calabro, one can take a bus to Cosenza(Consorzio Autolinee Cosenza).

More information on how to get to the various stages and locations of the Camino can be found directly on the official website at this link.

11.75 km | 5 hours | +600m, -600m

This is the first stage of the Camino and can be followed according to the valley or ridge variant; the technical data specified on this page refer to the ridge variant. The Walk starts from the Riforma church and for the first few kilometers follows the paved road until you reach Aria del Vento, from where you will walk among the wind turbines and enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding localities. You will then arrive inside a forest and once you reach Agine you will begin to descend toward Cerzeto, the day’s destination.

17.5 km | 8 hours | +1100m, -500m

This stage is more challenging than the previous one, being longer and with a greater elevation gain. It starts by heading uphill to Osticano, going back over the last kilometers of the previous stage to Agine. At Valico del Malpassaggio you follow the trail along a ridge in the woods and arrive at Serra dei Muli. Here and a little further on there are two refreshment areas with fountains or springs. You then go to the refuge of Passo della Guardia and continue to the Cinque Vie location. From here you continue on the trail to the Laghicello di San Benedetto Ullano, walking on the slopes of Serra Pantanolata and descending to the Bosco Cinquemiglia Refuge.

19.75 km | 8 hours | +750m, -1500m

We start for the first few kilometers along SP31, which must be left near Laghicello, from where we continue on a dirt road until we reach precisely Laghicello. We then continue on the path, reaching the summit of Cozzo Cervello, from which we descend through a beech forest to the crossroads of Croce di Paola and Montalto, where there is a statue of St. Francis of Paola. Continuing to descend, one begins to catch a glimpse of the town of Paola, finally arriving on a small paved road, which runs along the Isca to the Sanctuary of Paola.

21.8 km | 9 hrs | +1300m, -1000m

This is perhaps the most challenging stage of the entire Camino, so it is recommended to tackle it unhurriedly and starting early in the morning. You start by going back 200m from the Sanctuary of Paola to Toppa San Nicola and climbing through a forest to the Chianetto plateau. At this point continue on the trail to the S. Domenico Stream, which must be crossed by fording it, and then start climbing again to Cozzo Sancineto, which offers spectacular views. Crossing a forest you will be able to find a fountain and head toward the top of the mountain, then descending to Piano Luta. Now the road becomes narrower and climbs up toward the Croce Verranco pass. You then resume descending into the woods and when you get near some ruins you go left, continuing briefly on SP35. Then leave the provincial road epr go into the woods and again return to the provincial road, following it to San Fili.

18.9 km | 7 hrs | +900m, -850m

The difficulty of this stage is almost all at the beginning, where most of the climb is present. From San Fili you start at the St. Francis monument and from there continue on the road to the War Memorial, where you go right through the houses to a large chestnut tree. At this point you go left down a dirt road toward the Emoli stream, until you reach a fork where you will have to head left, taking a steep path through the woods. Once you reach a pine forest you will go left and on a paved road until you reach a new fork, where again you will head left, crossing the Acquabianca plateau and coming to a basalt road. From here you ascend to 1177 m, then descend again through the beech forest toward Cerisano. You then go along a paved road on the left until you reach a fountain, then get on SP45 and continue for another 4 km, reaching Cerisano.

22 Km | 4/6 hours | +850m, -770m

This is the last stage of the entire walk and can be quite challenging. You start for a long stretch of more than 7 km on paved roads, taking from Cerisano the SP45 towards Mendicino, then turn onto via del Vescovo and again onto via San Bartolo, where you stay for 1.5 km. You leave this street by going down Via Parmentieri and then take SP81 for almost 4 km, which you will leave for a small uphill road where there is a bar. At this point you take a dirt road and turn left near a dwelling, arriving at the Church of Madonna della Stella. Then you will reach the village of Carolei and near the Church of Madonna del Carmine you will go down a flight of steps and when you reach the last dwelling you will head onto the dirt road that goes to the Busento course, which is easily crossed by a wooden structure. At this point a steep climb begins, until you reach SP79, which must be followed for 2 km to Dipignano. It passes briefly over the countryside and then returns again to the SP79 for the last few Km, which leads to the Sanctuary of Paterno, the final destination of the walk.

We have selected the best accommodations along the Finisterre Way, also differentiating them by price. If you book the accommodations through this section you can rest assured, the booking will be made directly from Booking, Hostelworld or other external portals and you will not pay anything extra, but you will help us carry out the project by earning us a small commission!

More information on hospitality and accommodations can be found on the relevant page on the official St. Francis of Paola Walk website, which is very detailed.

The Credential is the “pilgrim’s passport” and bears witness to the pilgrim’s journey, stops, and emotions; it provides access to many pilgrim welcome points and is also a fantastic keepsake to keep once the Camino is over. You can request it directly on the official website

After walking at least three stages or the entire itinerary of the Way from San Marco Argentano to Corigliano Calabro and presenting one’s credential with the stamps of the various stopping points, one will be able to receive the Testimonium, an official certificate attesting to the completion of the pilgrimage. To collect it, the directions in this link should be followed.

You might find it useful to watch some videos (we have prepared a playlist of interesting videos here) to find out some additional information about the Way of St. Francis of Paola. Click on this link to see the playlist on Youtube.

For all up-to-date information regarding the Way of St. Francis of Paola and every aspect of it, it is recommended to consult the official website.

Download now the official app of the Way of St. Francis of Paola, very useful to follow the itinerary stage by stage and to discover many curiosities about the places crossed and their history. Click here to find out more.

Winter is not the most favorable time to undertake this route due to severe weather conditions and reduced accessibility of the route. In addition, many lodging facilities along the route may be closed or operating on a limited basis. Before venturing into this experience, it is essential to do careful planning, gathering detailed information on the practicality of the route and the availability of facilities. It is highly recommended that you contact local contact persons in advance for up-to-date and accurate directions so that you can approach the journey safely and with proper preparation.

The Way is well marked, through milestones, flags or painted yellow and blue arrows, or even signs and stickers. However, it is highly recommended to download the official App or GPX tracks, which can be found at this link, to better orient yourself and not risk getting lost, especially above 1000 meters and in particular weather conditions.

It may then come in handy to download thesignage abacus and visit the appropriate section on the official website.