The Via Francigena is an ancient pilgrimage route that leads from Canterbury (England) to Rome and for centuries has represented one of the most important European communication routes, especially in medieval times. Originally perhaps a Lombard route that linked the north to the southern duchies, avoiding the areas in the hands of the Byzantines, the route of the Via Francigena was reconstructed for the first time thanks to the travel notes of the Archbishop of Canterbury Sigeric. In fact, on his return from Rome in 990, after his fresh appointment as Archbishop, he noted 80 tasks, stages encountered up to Canterbury. The archbishop’s itinerary is perhaps the best described one, but there are many variations and certainly several Francigene roads have been traveled, considering the route possibilities that every traveler or pilgrim found himself choosing during his journey. Along this road, beaten by pilgrims and wayfarers, merchants and men of arms, villages and thriving cities developed, thus giving new form to the organization of a life in common that allowed the birth of ingenious production and commercial activities. One of the many Colle Val d’Elsa, which can be considered the daughter of the road, or more precisely of the Via Francigena. The evidence of this harmonious link between the city of Colle and the Via Francigena is still visible today, thanks to a careful and meticulous restoration work, inside the Portanova Restaurant. Nel cuore del torrione di Porta Nuova, o Volterrana, si trova il ristorante omonimo che nella sala interna custodisce un tratto del tracciato originale della via Francigena, è veramente straordinario ammirare le antiche pietre lastricate consumate dal tempo.