National connections
The Via Francigena is served by some of the major road and rail routes of the country, which in fact are the modern versions of the ancient road. Here is a list of the stages reached by national connections:
From the Great Saint Bernard Pass to Vercelli
The Great Saint Bernard Pass is crossed by the SS 27 (No. 21 in Switzerland), with limited passage due to snow between mid-April and mid-October. Coming from Switzerland you can use the St. Bernard Express service, that allows to charge bicycles as well. In summer (only from June and September) you can reach the Pass from Aosta with the Savda bus service or using the taxi and car with driver rental service proposed from the Val d’Aosta Region. Aosta and Ivrea are served by the A5 Turin-Aosta and regional trains on the Chivasso-Ivrea-Aosta. From Ivrea, the motorway branch of the A4 /5 Ivrea-Santhià, runs parallel to the route of the Via Francigena to Vercelli. Vercelli is a central location regarding train connections and motorways such as the A26 Voltri-Gravellona-Toce and the railway line Milano-Torino with intercity trains.
From Vercelli to Piacenza
Pavia can by reached by highspeed trains (Intercity and Frecciabianca) on the Milano-Genova line, and is connected by the A53 to the A7 Milano-Serrvalle. Pavia is also is connected by the A53 slip road to the A7 Milan-Serravalle. Joint railway and highway between the main country, Piacenza is linked to two motorways, the E70 Torino-Piacenza and the A1 Milan-Naples. Equally important rail links are on the Milan-Bologna (Intercity and Frecciabianca). Piacenza is also on the SS9 Via Emilia.
From Piacenza to Lucca
The SS9 Via Emilia, the railway line Milan-Bologna and the A1 Milan-Naples serve the main stages of the route up to the junction with the A15 Parma-La Spezia. Along the Apennine crossing Fornovo Val di Taro and Sarzana are the most accessible towns. They are both on the A15 and on Pontremolese railway line Parma-La Spezia, on which interregional -trains also travel on the Milan-Livorno line. Sarzana is served by inter-regional trains on the railway line Genoa-Pisa. Lucca is on the motorway junction on the A11 Firenze-Mare and is connected to the A12 Genoa-Livorno with the SGC Florence-Pisa-Livorno (SGC FI-PI-LI). Regional trains on the Lucca-Pisa line link it with the Pisa Centrale railway junction, along the route Genoa-Livorno, served by fast trains (Frecciarossa, Frecciabianca, Intercity).
From Lucca to Rome
Siena, set back from the main national lines, can only be reached by regional trains on the Empoli-Siena line, and is connected to the A1 Milan-Naples from the Florence-Siena motorway heading north, and from the SS 326 Siena-Bettolle heading south. Equally difficult are connections to other towns of southern Tuscany and of Tuscia, but all can be reached from SS2 Via Cassia, a descendent of the Via Francigena and in various stretches has been turned into freeway. Viterbo is also connected to the A1 at Orte, with 675 SS Umbro-Laziale. Lines of the Regional railway Roma-Viterbo connect it with the capital.
