The Via degli Abati is a pilgrimage route that is one of the different variants of the Via Francigena. This journey starts from Pavia and, passing through Bobbio, reaches Pontremoli. From Pontremoli the journey continues towards Lucca and Rome. The Via degli Abati was probably already traveled in the Lombard era, before the conquest of the Cisa, as a link between the capital Pavia and Rome. From the 7th century onwards, it allowed pilgrims to stop in Bobbio, in the heart of the Apennines, and to venerate the remains of San Colombano, before going up the Taro Valley and arriving in Pontremoli. This ancient connecting road was rediscovered and promoted in the 1990s thanks to the work of the Piacenza scholar Giovanni Magistretti.

In Pontremoli:

Stage Pontremoli – Borgo Val di Taro: Starting from Pontremoli, we proceed towards the hamlet of Casa Corvi. From here, proceed following the signs for Cervara (about 725 m asl). From Cervara continue to Lago Verde (about 1053 m asl). Continuing along the path and crossing the Franco Beccari bridge, you cross the ridge entering Emilia-Romagna. Descending to Valdena, you reach Borgo Val di Taro following a secondary road of the Provincial Road 20.