Italy has announced the launch of a new national pilgrimage route to honour St Francis of Assisi.

On 30 July, the Italian Ministry of Tourism held a press conference to present the Cammino di Francesco – Il Cammino della Luce or The Way of Francis – The Way of Light.

The 1,546km (960 miles) route spans the regions of Abruzzo, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Marche, Tuscany, and Umbria, incorporating existing trails.

From Abruzzo, all paths lead to Assisi in Umbria on different routes through Florence, La Verna and the pre-existing Way of St Francis, connecting Florence and Rome.

The path coincides with the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi, an Italian mystic, poet and Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans.

On the trail, 22 Franciscan destinations, including the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso, Hermitage of the Carceri and Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, can be visited by walkers.

According to the ministry, the project represents a “unified synthesis of the numerous walks and itineraries inspired by the passage of Saint Francis and which retrace the history of the Franciscan Order”.

Minister of tourism Gianmarco Mazzi said: “With the launch of the ‘Cammino di Francesco’, Italy is enriched with a great spiritual itinerary stretching more than a thousand kilometres, through the places and values that have made St Francis a global figure.

“We are doing this in the year of celebrations for the eighth centenary of his death and the nomination of the nativity scene as a World Heritage Site, and on the occasion of the Pope's visit to Assisi for a meeting with young people on 6 August.”

Read more: This new 2,000-mile hiking trail crosses six European countries