Walking the Via del Sale

This historic thoroughfare links the regions of Lombardy, Liguria, Emilia Romagna, and Piedmont, and has greatly contributed to the creation of a shared identity between the regions. Much of the road snakes through the valley of the river Staffora, an unspoilt landscape of woods, medieval towns, and castles.

These routes have existed for thousands of years. Although their start and end points may differ, they’ve been united by the same objective over the centuries: the transport of salt from the sea to the Po Valley and the Alps.

As far back as the Middle Ages, merchants loaded large quantities of this 'white gold' (salt was called this in some areas of northern Italy because of its scarcity and high value) onto the backs of mules and travelled hundreds of kilometres over the mountains to reach the towns where it was sold. They often added anchovies, sardines, cod, and other catches to the barrels. Mixing fish with salt was a very effective tactic to pay a lower duty at customs. Of course, at the time, salt was also essential for preserving the food.

Nowadays you walk into a shop, take a bag of salt from the shelf, pay at the till and that's it. In the old days, there was no such luxury. Many people suffered from cretinism, a disease that arose due to a deficiency of sodium, which led to severe mental and physical developmental delays and often manifested as goitre. This goes some way to explaining why salt was considered ‘white gold’. In those days, it was essential to obtain even in small quantities.

The Salt Road is, to all intents and purposes, a journey of discovery. It’s a mix of culture, history and gastronomy. In fact, the route touches the four Italian regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Liguria, running mainly along the crest of gentle hills and offering vast, extremely scenic, landscapes. It is a unique reminder of the past, and of the role that salt played in the development of the region. It is a great way to experience the history of the area and to appreciate the contribution that the Salt Road has made to Italian culture and commerce.

Why don’t you join us on our 12 Day Walks and Wonders Tour to walk a small part of the Via del Sale together?