Tourisme Commune de Cervia

Those pilgrims were directed to the eternal town and came from every spot of the medieval Christianity, especially in the early 2nd millennium.
The routes covered by the pilgrims Romei were called "Vie Francigene" ("coming from France") in fact during Charles the Great's kingdom Central Europe wholly belonged to the Franks. Some of these routes, used by the ones coming from the Brenner or from Venice, passed through Romagna.
The pilgrims used to travel on foot or on pack animals, in groups rather than alone and carried the insignia of the pilgrimage, St Peter's key in Rome.
Hospitality along the itineraries was guaranteed by special charity institutions, the so-called "Ospedali per Pellegrini", hostels for pilgrims, which were independent or attached to monastries, country churches or cathedrals. In the early 1200 one of these hospitium was built near Cervia to order of Matilde Traversari. According to tradition, there was a roadside cross in the place where the hostel stood, and this cross is now kept inside the parish church in Castiglione.
The pilgrims also used the ordinary roads, including waterways, in fact the most comfortable means was moving on a small boat trough internal waterways, especially in the Po-delta area and in the marshy areas.

route
Start from the Madonna del Pino's sanctuary, then go southwards as far as the crossing with Strada Statale 254 in direction Forlì, turn right and follow the sign Castiglione di Cervia. You will be able to admire the saltpan naturalistic area of Cervia. Once in Castiglione, follow the sign Cannuzzo, where you can visit the Madonna degli Angeli Sanctuary. Go towards Pisignano where you will be able to visit the Pieve di Santo Stefano, of ancient origin, which still houses, walled up in one external wall, a fragment of a roadside cross with a blessing hand. It is a medieval remnant of the time when such crosses would indicate that there was an hostel nearby for the pilgrims. From that point you can go back to Cervia following the street signs.

further details
Along the pilgrim route in the territory of Cervia there were a few stopping places, St Andrew's church in Domoculta, which now does not exist any more, in the locality then called Villa Inferno,
St Stephen's parish church in Pisignano, still accessible, St Paternianus in Ficocle, which stood just in the middle of the saltpan, not accessible, and the saltpan itself.