Best practices of the Via Francigena
The European Association of the Via Francigena Ways (EAVF) promotes the International Via Francigena Award, an initiative aimed at collecting and enhancing best practices developed along the Cultural Route of the Council of Europe.
The award is open to EAVF members and friends, who can submit projects dedicated to themes such as:
slow tourism and sustainable development;
accessibility;
enhancement of cultural and natural heritage;
art and performance;
youth and traditional culture.
Previous editions
2024
Promoting organization: Via Francigena Association of Canosa di Puglia
Partners: Municipality of Canosa di Puglia, IISS “L. Einaudi” of Canosa di Puglia (Hotel and Culinary School), Apuliafood Ltd.
🎯 Project Goal
To enhance the cultural heritage, history, and memory of the local area through the creation of a typical product linked to the Via Francigena: the Frangiscotto.
The project promotes local food and wine culture, the historical memory of traditional products, and the bond between the Way and its travelers.
🧁 The Frangiscotto: a Biscuit for Pilgrims
Created to welcome travelers walking through the Canosa di Puglia stage.
Made with local and ancient ingredients, such as toasted wheat flour (grano arso).
Designed for national and international distribution, with plans for a patent of recognition.
🤝 Active Collaborations
IISS “L. Einaudi” School: through a memorandum of understanding, teachers and students from the hospitality and culinary program actively participated in the biscuit’s development.
Apuliafood Ltd.: provided essential raw ingredients such as white flour (farina 00) and toasted wheat flour.
🌾 The Value of Tradition
Once known as the “flour of the poor,” toasted wheat flour is now considered a prized delicacy from Puglia.
The Frangiscotto represents:
the revival of a local tradition;
the involvement of younger generations;
the promotion of Made in Puglia through a symbolic and cultural product.
Promoting Organization: Region of Piedmont – Department for Tourism Development
Partners: Province of Turin, Municipalities, ATL Turismo Torino e Provincia, Council for Ecclesiastical Heritage of Piedmont and Aosta Valley
🎯 Project Objective
To enhance the Via Francigena in Piedmont in an inclusive and accessible way, through:
innovation and digitalization;
accessibility for people with disabilities;
training and job placement;
extended cultural access;
territorial promotion.
🧭 Main Actions of the Project
Light infrastructure and dedicated signage in the Canavese and Susa Valley sections, mapped with the participation of people with disabilities and their associations.
“Chiese a Porte Aperte” (Churches with Open Doors): a digital initiative allowing autonomous visits to about 20 sacred buildings via automated entry after app reservation.
Training of tourism professionals for inclusive hospitality.
Extracurricular internships activated for people with disabilities in the tourism sector (18 internships implemented in the Province of Turin).
Specialized promotional campaigns, aimed at project dissemination and awareness on accessibility.
🤝 Inclusion and Synergies
The project creates a synergy between tourism enhancement and social inclusion, supporting autonomy and active participation.
Actions were carried out in cooperation with all partners and co-financed by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers – Office for Disabilities.
Numerous local stakeholders were involved to ensure the sustainability and dissemination of the initiatives.
📱 Technology and Accessibility
The dedicated app for “Churches with Open Doors” enables a simple, customized, and autonomous visitor experience.
The automatic opening system makes places of worship accessible even outside regular hours or without on-site staff.
📌 Territorial Impact
The project currently covers:
the Canavese section
the two Susa Valley variants
Making these routes more inclusive, well-marked, usable, and connected to the cultural and spiritual resources of the region.
Promoting Organization: Municipality of Pavia
Partners: Ministry of Tourism, European Association of the Via Francigena Ways (AEVF), Chamber of Commerce of Pavia, Province of Pavia, Plastic Free Association, University of Pavia
🎯 Project Objective
To create a strategic dialogue platform aimed at strengthening the sustainability, accessibility, and usability of the Via Francigena, with a special focus on the Lombardy section.
🧭 Main Project Actions
A public event featuring:
Thematic working groups
Conferences
Walks and experiential activities along the route
Direct involvement of the Ministry of Tourism, Region of Lombardy, AEVF, local and international municipalities, tourism operators, and stakeholders such as Trenitalia, Trenord, and Plastic Free.
Collection of shared proposals to:
structure inclusive hospitality and mobility;
enhance the region with a sustainable approach;
improve maintenance and accessibility of the trail.
🌱 Accessibility and Sustainability
Focus on inclusivity and usability for people with disabilities
Proposals for integrated and sustainable mobility using dedicated trains and buses
Guided hikes with environmental clean-up activities along the Lombardy sections of the Francigena (mainly in the Province of Pavia), involving Plastic Free, local citizens, and public administrators
🧩 Results and Impact
Creation of a collaborative network among institutions, local authorities, economic operators, and social organizations
Launch of a strategic dialogue for a sustainable and accessible Via Francigena in Lombardy
Implementation of environmental awareness initiatives directly on the route
2023
Promoting Organization: Association “La Via Francigena in Tuscia – APS”
Country: Italy
Region: Lazio
Location: Viterbo (VT)
Period: From 06/02/2019 to 06/05/2032
Partner: Municipality of Viterbo
🎯 Project Objective
To enhance the urban entrance of the Via Francigena in Viterbo through the creation of a symbolic monumentcelebrating the passage of pilgrims, the historical memory of the route, and a sense of community.
🧭 Main Project Actions
Installation of the Pilgrim’s Monument on the outskirts of Viterbo, marking the beginning of the city’s stretch of the Francigena.
A glazed lava stone panel crafted by ceramic artist Cinzia Chiulli.
Footprints signed by pilgrims and visitors, symbolizing passage and collective memory.
Creation of a welcoming and rest area for citizens and walkers.
Involvement of the municipal administration and a phased development plan supported by sponsors.
🌱 Enhancing the Via Francigena
The monument is located in a developing commercial urban area, becoming the first welcoming point for pilgrims entering Viterbo.
Through this artistic installation and the opportunity to leave a personal imprint, the pilgrimage route is woven into the life of the city, creating a tangible connection between territory and traveler.
🧩 Symbolic Meaning and Cultural Impact
The project is a tribute to pilgrimage and human resilience. Initiated before the pandemic, paused, and later resumed as a sign of rebirth.
The apotropaic value of the “step” becomes a metaphor for renewal and spiritual journey.
The first footprint captures the post-pandemic pilgrim’s traces, including symbolic phrases like “I stay at home,” transformed into marks of a new beginning.
The presence of Viterbo’s first female mayor is engraved as a symbol of a new era.
The three pilgrims depicted in the monument represent the past, present, and future of the journey.
The star stands as a symbol of hope and direction, guiding those who walk with a known destination in their heart.
Promoting Organization: Amata Compagnie
Country: France
Region: Île-de-France
Event Location: Fidenza, Italy
Date: 10/09/2022
Partners: L’AIDAS, Charles Myber, Renaissance de la Via Francigena en France Association
🎯 Project Objective
To promote the history and origins of the Via Francigena through a theatrical storytelling of the Legend of Sigeric, the first documented pilgrim, by artistically and popularly spreading the cultural heritage along the entire route.
🧭 Main Project Actions
A medieval-style popular theatre performance, directed by Carlo Boso and performed by Amata Compagnie.
Itinerant shows along the Via Francigena in France, Switzerland, and Italy.
Adaptation of the narrative to reflect the historical and cultural context of each location.
Interactions with pilgrims, animations, and participation in festivals such as the Francigena Fidenza Festival.
Promotion of local heritage through theatrical art.
🌱 Enhancing the Via Francigena
The project draws on the historical figure of Sigeric, counselor to King Æthelred of England, who journeyed to Rome to receive his archbishop’s investiture from the Pope—strengthening the Anglo-Saxon Church’s authority in the face of Viking invasions.
By dramatizing his story, the project aims to engage local communities and pilgrims, celebrating the historical roots of the pilgrimage route and reviving interest through an accessible and compelling theatrical language.
✨ Cultural and Narrative Impact
The company aims to perform the show at every major stop along the Via Francigena, tailored to each setting.
The project actively involved pilgrims through performances, workshops, and shared experiences.
It proposes an international dissemination (France, Switzerland, Italy) to promote both the play and the Via Francigena as a European Cultural Route.
Promoting Organization: Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome
Country: England
Region: Kent
Locations: Canterbury, Dover, and several towns and villages across Kent
Period: 21/09/2022 – 25/09/2022
Partners: Kent Downs AONB (Kent County Council), Canterbury City Council, Dover District Council – The festival was delivered by the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome.
🎯 Project Objective
To make the concept of pilgrimage accessible to a wide audience, offering a variety of activities and interpretations—both historical and contemporary—of walking as a cultural and spiritual experience along the Via Francigena.
🧭 Main Project Actions
A touring performance of “O Roma Nobilis”, a spoken word and music piece dedicated to the Via Francigena, performed over five days in different locations along the route.
Taster walks of varying lengths along the Via Francigena, including a full 32 km route.
A photographic exhibition at the Dover Museum focusing specifically on pilgrimage and the Via Francigena.
Informational workshop for future pilgrims on how to prepare for the journey to Rome.
Family and school trails to introduce children and youth to the historical significance of pilgrimage.
🌱 Enhancing the Via Francigena
The festival focused on the entire English section of the Via Francigena between Canterbury and Dover, turning it into a cultural protagonist.
Through artistic events, hikes, exhibitions, lectures, workshops, poetry performances, and tastings (e.g. Pilgrim’s Ale), the project celebrated the route as shared heritage and a living collective experience.
A total of 62 events were held, engaging the entire region and reinforcing the identity of the Francigena as a European itinerary open to all ages.
✨ Cultural and Social Impact
Engagement of local communities and visitors through a broad range of free events
Promotion of modern pilgrimage as an inclusive, cultural, and sustainable practice
Rediscovery of Kent as an international pilgrimage destination, with a focus on the Via Francigena and its intermediate communities
