REDEVELOPMENT OF THE PILGRIMS’ PATHS: GREEN LIGHT FROM THE ROME CITY COUNCIL
Rome, 28 June 2024 – The Rome City Council has approved the redevelopment project for the Pilgrims’ Paths, included in the essential and urgent interventions programme for the Jubilee.
The Jubilee Society (Società Giubileo Spa) will implement a total investment of 3 million euros aimed at establishing an integrated network of the existing paths. The interventions will focus on the entrance routes to Rome of the Northern Via Francigena, the Path of Saint Francis, and the Southern Via Francigena, which will welcome many of the expected 30 to 35 million pilgrims arriving in the capital for 2025.
Ordinary and extraordinary maintenance works will be carried out on the current urban sections, addressing horizontal signage and signposting, identifying possible rest areas, refurbishing deterrents and various types of barriers along the paths and in parks. Additionally, streets will be upgraded, urban furniture will be renovated, pavements and trails in parks will be improved, including maintenance of greenery and hydrogeological measures (creating drainage systems). There will also be work on the panoramic route of the 5 km cycle path connecting Monte Mario and Valle Aurelia/Monte Ciocci, where construction has started recently on the section to St. Peter’s.
“We are working on cycle-pedestrian paths, new furnishings, maintenance of trails and park greenery to upgrade and enhance the network of spiritual paths leading to Rome,” explained Mayor Roberto Gualtieri. “Enchanting atmospheres, breathtaking landscapes, and high-quality services will welcome the many people who wish to reach St. Peter’s and the city on foot or by bicycle for the next Jubilee.”
“We are starting a project that will affect many pilgrims,” added the City Councillor for the Environment, Sabrina Alfonsi, “and will restore an extraordinary heritage of paths and routes involving beautiful places and parks like the Via Francigena, the Insugherata Reserve, Monte Ciocci, and historic streets and squares of the city leading to St. Peter’s. A valuable task,” concluded the councillor, “which we will accomplish quickly thanks to dedicated funds and the on-field commitment of the Jubilee Society Spa.”
FlixBus and our Association have renewed their agreement for 2024, offering reduced fares to pilgrims on their pilgrimage route who use the green buses to travel between stages, reach their starting point or return home at the end of the journey.
The agreement is valid throughout the network, and is supported by a number of EAVF’s partners, such as DMO Francigena Sud in Lazio and Visit Piemonte, who wish to encourage people to discover their territories travelling at a slow pace and in a responsible manner, combining walking with bus transportation.
The itinerary after Rome
In Lazio, the Via Francigena links 21 stages, entering Tuscia from the Val d’Orcia (Tuscany), then crossing the provinces of Viterbo, Rome and Latina as far as Minturno, continuing on into Campania. In Lazio the route passes through Rome and Ciampino, where it intersects the FlixBus network, offering advantages for those travelling the route but also for the local area: visitors arriving at the Roma Tiburtina, Roma Anagnina or Ciampino bus stops can set out on foot, discovering Lazio at a slow pace.
Our partner DMO Francigena Sud in Lazio promotes and enhances the itinerary in southern Lazio on the way to Campania and Apulia. The route passes through little-known villages abounding in scenic, natural, artistic, cultural and historical charm. A complete list of municipalities is available at this link.
The Via Francigena in Piedmont
The Via Francigena has 13 stages In Piedmont, with two variants that cross the region, meeting at Vercelli and then heading towards Lombardy: one descending from Valle d’Aosta and the other proceeding from the west. In Piedmont the route passes through the towns of Turin, Chivasso, Oulx and Santhià, where it intersects the FlixBus network, offering benefits for those travelling the route and for the local area. Encouraging the discovery of Piedmont at a slow pace, Visit Piemonte, a regional company for the promotion of incoming tourism, FlixBus and the Association of the Via Francigena ways promote a more authentic way of travelling, in close contact with local communities, which at the same time significantly reduces the environmental impact of the journey. Caring for the local community also means caring for the environment!
A new way of travelling
Overtourism or tourist overcrowding has shed new light on the fragility of Italy’s national heritage and the need for a different approach to the promotion of tourism that is capable of generating wealth for local economies without jeopardising the balance and quality of life of the communities involved.
After all, it is the visitors themselves who are demanding the right to access new, more conscientious ways of travelling. A study entitled What motivates us to travel, conducted for FlixBus by research company Squadrati, revealed how more and more people are now expressing, among other things, a need for authentic travel experiences and a greater demand for sustainability. To cite two of the most significant figures, 33% of those surveyed indicated a preference for ‘educational’ trips ‘to discover places and cities with the eyes of an explorer, not a tourist‘ (compared to 26% pre-Covid), and 41% specified that they wanted to ‘live an experience of enrichment, of personal growth‘ (compared to 31% pre-Covid).
To learn more about EAVF’s partnerships, download our Media Kit.
For the past 3 years the EAVF, in collaboration with partners from 6 European countries, has been actively involved in the project “rurAllure: Promotion of rural museums and heritage sites in the vicinity of European pilgrimage routes” under the Horizon 2020 programme.
This project, concluding on 31 December, has significantly valorised cultural heritage sites along the routes, including Camino de Santiago, Via Francigena, Romea Strata, Via Romea Germanica, Way of Mary, and St Olav Way. The EAVF has spearheaded communication and research efforts specifically along the Via Francigena as part of this project.
Among the most important achievements of the project is mapping over 3,000 sites, including over 1200 from the entire European Via Francigena. Based on this research, an atlas of Via Francigena heritage, podcasts and informative tourist text were produced and published on the project platform.
Among the main events, an accessibility workshop for the visually impaired, which took place in July 2022 in Bagno Vignoni (Tuscany) with a special focus on the creation of 3D models of surrounding landscapes and improved information access.
The project organised several free hikes in the format “I love Via Francigena Thermal”, which allowed the participants to discover the benefits of hot springs and cultural sites along the route.
In the framework of rurAllure, the EAVF participated in several tourism fairs, such as “Fa’ la Cosa Giusta” in 2022 and 2023 and at the TTG Travel Experience in Rimini in October 2023.
Additionally, the photo competition “Share your route” launched and managed within the project, served to strengthen the pilgrims’ community, generating over 3600 photos and videos from the Via Francigena.
Thanks to the project’s contribution to slow tourism and Sustainable Development Goals, it received international recognition such as the Skål Europe Sustainable Tourism Awards and Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism 2023, while the EAVF research along the Via Francigena and educational walks were featured by the EU platform Europeana, UNWTO Tourism4SDGs and UN World Tourism Day.
In 2024 the project spin-off – the first in its kind European Cooperation Network along pilgrimage routes, officially launched in June 2023 in Norway – will play the central role. This network, of which the EAVF is a member, is focused on cooperation among the routes, exchange of best practices and common projects.
Joseph de Metz-Noblat, Bishop of Langres and President of “Spiritualitas in Francigenam“, dedicated his Christmas wishes to our Association and to the entire pilgrims’ community.
As 2024 approaches, Bishop Joseph de Metz-Noblat invites us, as pilgrims of the world, to travel on a particular path: that of peace and hope. Have a great journey!
I recently met a young man who left for Jerusalem. His main concern was to cross the passes of the Swiss Alps. As for me, I prefer to stay warm, but that does not stop me from thinking of leaving for Rome as soon as possible.
Christmas is the birth of Jesus, the Saviour, the one who comes to open a new path, marked by justice, peace and hope. We need this so much!
The world is still shaken by wars, violence and global upheaval. What if I welcomed Christ into my life, so that I could taste his peace and pass it on to those around me? What if I recognised Christ in the faces of those I meet every day?
Joseph de Metz-Noblat, Bishop of Langres and President of Spiritualitas in Francigenam
Cycle tourism is an increasingly widespread phenomenon in Italy: according to the Report ‘Travelling by bike 2023’ produced by the National Institute for Tourism Research (Isnart) for the Observatory on the Economy of Tourism of the Chambers of Commerce, and promoted with Legambiente, there were 33 million cycle tourists in 2022. Among those who were interviewed, there is a marked increase in English-speaking travellers over 50, who, in addition to outdoor activities, wish to discover traditions, flavours and places of interest, away from mass tourism routes.
Meeting the needs of this target group, the numerous Italian cycling parks and routes are an excellent opportunity to experience adventures on two wheels. Moreover, some routes intersect places crossed by the Via Francigena itinerary, as in the case of Piedmont. Here we find the Aida, Sesia, Tracce dei Ghiacciai, Cavour Canal, Avigliana Lakes, Ticino Park and Lake Maggiore Cycle Routes, as well as the Via Francigena in the Susa Valley Cycle Route.
The Ciclovia Francigena in Piedmont, both for professional bikers and cycling tourists in search of history and culture
Piedmont, as is well known, is the birthplace of many cycling champions, and attracts many sportsmen and women who can take part in many dedicated events such as races and competitions, but also those who want to simply enjoy a day-to-day experience with friends. According to the survey on cycle tourism carried out by the Tourist Observatory of the Piedmont Region – Visit Piedmont on the influx of tourists by bike in summer 2022, “81.7% opt for a daily experience in groups of 5 to 10 people, or in the company of their family or partner, along easy routes (43.3%) to be tackled with an e-bike (57.2%), in most cases (60.3%) rented”.
The Susa Valley’s Ciclovia Francigena perfectly combines these aspects and allows people to discover local history and traditions. The route is divided into 6 modular stages over a total of 40.45 km, with a positive height difference of 169 metres; it is a flat itinerary that can be cycled all year round even by non-experts, and is the starting point for mountain bike or road bike tours on the Susa Valley slopes. This bike route was designed to connect 15 municipalities, from the village of Caselette, on the outskirts of Turin, to the Moncenisio Pass. It now reaches as far as Bussoleno, with a branch to the Avigliana lakes, following the right side of the Dora river, crossing cultivated fields, woods, landscapes and places of historical and cultural interest.
Travelling by bicycle between the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Piedmont (and beyond)
The Via Francigena cycle route in the Susa Valley creates a connection with the French Maurienne territory and the Green Crown and Crown of Delights cycle route, in the vicinity of the Savoy residences – a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. Although the Via Francigena itself is in the running for this prestigious worldwide recognition, at present there are numerous UNESCO points of interest that can be reached by bicycle, following the cycle route in the Susa Valley.
From the initial part of the cycle route, history lovers can venture among the archaeological excavations including the Roman villa of Caselette on the slopes of Mount Musinè, and the monumental villa of Almese, or venture as far as the Cays Castle and the Ricetto di San Mauro. The Cays Castle is a fortress dating back to 1300-1400, where in 1854 members of the royal family of Savoy found refuge during a cholera epidemic. It was originally inhabited by those who administered the family’s terrors. Later, it was passed to the Counts of Cays and then to the Don Bosco Congregation of Salesians, and closed in 2007. The Ricetto, on the other hand, is a fortified complex with double walls, the construction of which is estimated to begin in 1029 with a church, a bell tower and a drawbridge. The building served as shelter for inhabitants of the time in case of attacks by enemies or bandits, but also as a prison, as happened during the witch hunts in the 14th century. Today it is used as an exhibition centre and hosts numerous events.
castello Cays_Credits Michelangelo Delu’
Continuing along the cycle route, we reach the medieval village of Sant’Ambrogio di Torino, at the foot of Mount Pirchiriano, known for its ‘paste di meliga’ (butter and maize flour biscuits). What is special about this site is the good preservation of much of the curtain wall, on the north, east and south sides, and one of its four remaining towers, the Torre del Feudo, in which a fresco has been found covering the entire east wall. Another must-see in the village is the parish church of San Giovanni Vincenzo, in which the ancient reliquary urn of the namesake saint is kept – one among the founders of the Sacra di San Michele.
Sant’Ambrogio di Torino_Credits Douglas Hoyt
Getting back on your bike and following the cycle-tour itinerary, you will reach Vaie, where a visit to the Prehistoric Laboratory Museum provides an insight into daily life during prehistoric times, thanks to reproductions of artefacts, materials and tools, as well as a tactile route.
If you are travelling in autumn, a restorative stop can be the ‘Sagra del Marrone Valsusino‘, a celebration dating back to 1863, in the village of Villar Focchiardo, one of the most famous places in Val Susa – precisely because of the production of marrons. Another option is the Cascina Roland, a 15th-century building and historical resting place for pilgrims, which takes its name from an erratic boulder located next to the walls. According to legend, the rock was split in two with the ‘Durlindana’ sword, held by the paladin protagonist of ‘Orlando Furioso’ after the loss of his beloved woman.
Sagra del Marrone_Credits Villar FocchiardoMasso erratico_Credits Cascina Roland
The next stop on this cycling trip along the route is San Giorio di Susa, where the homonym castle is located. It is situated in the groppa Morenica and is known as Mollare di San Giorio: only the round tower and the flanking hall remain, and today is partly used as a risto-pub. At the feet of the castle, the historical re-enactment of the ‘Dance of the Swords‘ takes place in April, during the celebrations of the local saint. It refers to the legendary ousting of a tyrant in ancient times by some brave swordsmen. Also worth a visit is the Chapel of San Lorenzo, known as the Chapel of the Count, dating back to 1328, where well-preserved frescoes are still exposed.
Castello di San Giorio_Credits cmvss
Danza delle Spade_Credits Val Susa Turismo
Arriving in Bussoleno, temporary ending of the Via Francigena cycle route in Val di Susa, you must visit the medieval village and see the ancient tavern of the Casa Amprimo or Locanda della Croce Bianca, as well as the Casa Aschieri, a 14th-century workshop also used as a family home. You can also visit an example of industrial archaeology, the Varesio Mill, with its early 20th-century millstone for grinding wheat and producing walnut oil.
It is possible to return from Bussoleno by train, thanks to the Turin-Bardonecchia rail line.
Mulino Varesio ruota_Credits vallesusa tesori
Mulino Varesio_Credits vallesusa tesori
With Visit Piemonte for a more inclusive route
One of the objectives of the partnership between the Via Francigena and Visit Piemonte is to help people discover and appreciate Piedmont’s cultural and natural heritage along the Via Francigena route. To this end, Visit Piemonte is at work, together with other regional actors, to make 20 cultural sites along the route usable and accessible 365 days a year, thanks to the “Via Francigena for all” project, presented last 7 November at the World Travel Market in London. This is a decisive step towards inclusion, preparing for both the 2024 Tour de France, which, after 120 years of history, will have Piedmont as its arrival point, and the forthcoming Universiade 2025 in Turin – the Fisu World University Winter Games, an event that for the first time will be barrier-free and inclusive and that will put Piedmont at the centre of the international cycling panorama.
The EAVF family is getting bigger and bigger, and is now enriched with the valuable collaboration of CAMCO Activewear, a manufacturer of 100% sustainable clothing for both men and women, ideal for outdoor activities.
Increasing public awareness about sustainability and the environment has recently opened new scenarios in the world of clothing, and CAMCO is one of the brands that embrace these values.
A passion for walking and a commitment to sustainability
CAMCO was founded by Matteo Corrado, a walker and engineer by training and trade, with the aim of bringing an attentive eye towards caring for the environment into the world of sportswear. Hethus decided to introduce a new element in the Made in Italy world: to create technical and comfortable apparel using materials that nature itself provides, without harming it. Like CAMCO, our Association is always keen to promote the respect and care for the land, and to be the spokesperson for craft and local knowledge and traditions built up over time, in harmony with natural cycles.
The revolution based on 50% extra-fine Merino wool and 50% TENCEL™
Garments produced by CAMCO are the result of research into sustainable materials and a focus on a supply chain that fully takes into account the well-being of the environment and of animals. This is why the company uses tags printed on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper, which certifies that the material comes from responsibly managed forests.
The clothes are 50% extra-fine Merino wool and 50% TENCEL™, making the CAMCO collections particularly suitable for outdoor enthusiasts in all seasons. The extra-fine Merino wool is GOTS certified and mulesing-free, which means it excludes invasive shearing techniques. It ensures a warmer walk in winter while insulating the heat in summer. Mulesing, for those who don’t know, is a barbaric surgical practice, adopted mainly on Australian farms, which causes much suffering to the sheep. TENCEL™, a registered trademark of Lenzing AG, on the other hand, is a botanical fibre. During its production, process fluids are reused and recycled by more than 99%. Thanks to the lyocell in TENCEL™ fibres, moisture is regulated and the body stays drier and cooler.
CAMCO’s experience along the Via Francigena route
Like many of the Association’s partners, CAMCO gained experience regarding the Via Francigena route by walking some of its sections: in summer 2021, with a trip on the route from Bagno Vignoni to Rome, discovering Montefiascone and Lake Bolsena, but also the city of Viterbo, starting point for another walk to Rome last summer.
CAMCO’s business proposal and history meets the mission of the Association, enriching its network with a valuable ally along the ethical and sustainable path. CAMCO wants to celebrate this partnership by offering a 20% discount on the value of the entire shopping cart to Via Francigena pilgrims who can enter the discount code AEVF20.
EAVF and Confartigianato recently signed an agreement for the promotion of sustainable tourism and the peculiarities of the Italian crossed territories, from tradition to innovation.
Confartigianato, a reference network along the way
Confartigianato Imprese is the largest European network representing the interests of and providing services to craft and small enterprises. It associates 700,000 companies belonging to dozens of different sectors, in which the tradition of ancient crafts and the innovation of activities using state-of-the-art technologies coexist. Confartigianato operates throughout Italy with a national headquarters in Rome and 1,201 territorial offices, which report to 103 provincial associations and 21 regional federations.
With this collaboration, EAVF and Confartigianato aim to be even closer to the many small and medium-sized companies and craft businesses that characterise the Italian fabric, through a series of activities that will also involve the regional federations and territorial associations of Confartigianato.
Brindisi – TorchiaroloFornovo di Taro – Cassio
The Via Francigena route as a lab for social innovation
The core of the agreement between EAVF and Confartigianato is to organise joint activities in the field of sustainable tourism, with a special focus on those artisan trades and entrepreneurial innovations born within the territories crossed by the Via Francigena itinerary. In particular, this concerns projects and initiatives aimed at highlighting the enterprises located along the route, and training moments open to the Confartigianato System and dedicated to the creation of tourist itineraries linked to the route.
The result of this collaboration will in fact build a lab for social innovation and for the promotion of best practices for the development and dissemination of slow tourism along the trails.
The cultural value of the Via Francigena in Southern Italy (VFS) is growing. It is now in the spotlight, as is distinctive of ‘common goods’, with a development program closely linked to the search for sustainability – a principle underlying the development of all the itineraries in Europe – while paying attention to the needs of people with disabilities.
This is also the objective of those who live along the final stretch of the VFS, where a network of cultural associations (Mollare Mai, Via Francigena Pugliese, Salentofilia, Associazione Ciclistica Torcito Bike, Meditinere Servizi Turistici, Il Giunco) operates, attentive to the needs of walkers with disabilities on their way to Santa Maria di Leuca. The common feeling is that cultural routes and itineraries accessible to all should be understood not only as a form of social responsibility but also as an opportunity to increase their promotion, to improve their competitiveness for tourism purposes and to offer new opportunities to the territory, to businesses and to all local stakeholders who undertake useful actions to meet the specific needs of people with disabilities, becoming an active part of a responsible and sustainable tourism strategy.
In order to make the final part of the Via Francigena in Southern Italy accessible to all, activities carried out by ADS Mollare Mai, established in 2017 and based in Serrano, a small village in the municipality of Carpignano Salentino in the province of Lecce, are particularly significant.
The challenge of accessibility
“The Via Francigena accessible to the disabled” was the challenge posed by Adriano Bolognese, president of the Mollare Mai Association, a handbike cycling athlete, who, together with the members of his association – impaired visually, motor, etc. – has taken on the challenge of ‘making the Via Francigena accessible to the disabled’. In collaboration with Marco Bartalini of the ASD MTB Tricase Association, he mapped the stretch of the Via Francigena in Southern Italy that goes from Brindisi to Santa Maria di Leuca, identifying the most critical points of the route and suggesting the necessary deviations to make the path accessible to people with disabilities.
In addition to this first initiative, the Mollare Mai Association has flanked many other projects aimed at offering cooperation to disabled walkers and raising awareness among communities, local authorities and regional authorities on the need to build a sustainable VFS, offering services and facilities usable by people with disabilities.
The solidarity initiatives
In December 2020, for example, in collaboration with other walking associations, “La Marcia della Speranza” (The March of Hope) was promoted by covering a 40-kilometre stretch of the Via Francigena in Salento with a group of disabled people. In October 2021, the Association took part in the “Road to Rome 2021“ event organised by the European Association of the Via Francigena ways, covering parts of the Salento area. In April 2022, they took part in the Salento Trans Salento from Otranto to Gallipoli: a slow march of 50 km of the duration of one full day, with the aim of identifying a possible easier route for disabled travelers.
It should be emphasised that the Mollare Mai Association also provides guidance and logistical support on the stretch of the Via Francigena from Lecce to Santa Maria di Leuca for walkers and disabled ramblers from other Italian regions. Among other activities, it is worth mentioning the service offered in January 2023 to a group of walkers with a wheelchair user from Padua; in August, the service of guidance and assistance (for a stretch of the Via Francigena from Martano to Tricase) for a group of disabled walkers (from the ‘Insuperabile’ project created in 2019 by Gabriele Rosa) with physical or cognitive pathologies or disabilities and their assistants, coming from the Sanctuary of La Verna in Rimini and wishing to reach Santa Maria di Leuca after 21 days of walking.
There are many initiatives aimed at raising awareness in the local community on the importance of barrier-free walking for people with disabilities. In 2022 (May-October) and 2023 (March-May), for example, the Association launched an initiative called “Fra le piazze del Salento” (Among the squares of Salento), aimed at groups of disabled people and their families/accompanying persons, which included cultural walks with visits to monuments located in numerous towns in southern Salento (Marittima, Surano, Ruffano, Giurdignano, Martano, Casarano and Castro, Otranto and Corigliano D’Otranto). In June 2023, it organised the first edition of the ‘Cammino delle pietre e dei laghi’ (Stones and Lakes Walk), a 56 km inclusive ring-route in the province of Lecce, and again, in July of the same year, the group ran a 30 km bicycle or handbike or electric-powered route in Salento Greece with 6 disabled and 20 able-bodied people.
Mollare Mai also drew up project proposals and launched communication and information campaigns on the accessibility of routes, building a network of interest between public and private entities. The local community was involved, for example, in activities aimed at good wheelchair use and the removal of architectural barriers. It dedicated training meetings on disability to the students at some schools, also linked to the world of work (see the meetings held in Poggiardo in October 2023). For the workers with disabilities, it devoted taylor-made courses to approach sports with the use of handbikes, accompanied by recreational and playful activities such as working with terracotta, painting, making objects with recycled materials, theatre activities, restoration courses, cooking courses, vegetable garden therapy and library management.
The good practices of the Mollare Mai Association in the promotion of routes and developing the VFS to also be usable by disabled people have been recognised by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism. In June 2022, they respectively invited the Association to present its experiences of walking with disabled people within the Cultural Routes for Sustainable Social and Economic Development in the Mediterranean (CROSSDEV) project and, in May 2023, to participate in the Chianciano Terme meeting for a discussion on the removal of barriers: perhaps this is the start of a hoped-for collaboration and of s good care for the issues of accessibility of the Routes, that can really be enjoyed by everyone?
On 7 november at the World Travel Market in London, one of the most important international tourism fairs, the Regione Piemonte, Turismo Torino e Provincia and Visit Piemonte DMO introduced the project “Via Francigena for All” to the English press.
At the Italian corner of ENIT- National Tourism Agency, they talked about the accessibility and sustainability of the Via Francigena, a historic route that aims to be more inclusive by overcoming all physical and mental barriers.
“Via Francigena for All” is a project launched a few years ago with the collaboration of EAVF and today also sees the Piedmont Region strongly committed to making the Piedmont stretch of what is now recognized as the Cultural Itinerary of the Council of Europe more inclusive and accessible to all pilgrims.
The hope is that the theme of accessibility on the Via Francigena can increasingly become part of national and regional tourism policies.
Travelling by train has always stimulated literary and artistic creativity. And at the same time, the fascination and practicality of this means of transport also make it the subject of actual travel ideas. Just think of the many existing itineraries, sometimes linking several continents, or the Interrail option for young people with the support of the European community.
Travelling by train, compared to choosing other means of transport, is definitely an advantage in several respects, summarised in five simple considerations.
1. It allows you to enjoy the journey
Travelling both a short and a long distance, seated in a train, allows you to observe the world through its window, notice changing shapes and peculiarities, one place compared to another; you can also watch the way different people interact, differing from one town to another. You find yourself as an observer, in the flux of reality, enjoying a privileged position: you are part of the context but at the same time you will only belong to that portion of the world for a certain period of time and can therefore look at it with an external and curious eye. With this attitude, favoured by the tranquillity of travelling by train, as opposed to the hustle of travelling by plane or the lonely essence of a car journey, you can appreciate with greater intensity all your experiences, and enjoy every changing moment.
2. It increases mental and social knowledge
On board the train, there is no shortage of interaction: the opportunity to make new and interesting encounters is a frequent possibility. According to the study by the research centre Eumetra on the types of entertainment of train travellers, although reading or listening to music are the main pastimes, 61% put exchanging a few words with perfect strangers first, during long journeys or during a holiday.
Travelling by train therefore offers benefits on a social level and on the growth of one’s cultural and intellectual background. In fact, the same study shows that 88% of travellers have read at least one book on a train in the last year, compared to 81% of all Italians. Although surfing the Internet and communicating on the web hold the podium on how to spend time on board a train, reading ranks third, and is a more popular choice compared to listening to music or podcasts.
3.It is the most ecologically responsible travel option
It is now well known that the atmospheric CO2 emission of a train journey (0.044 kg per km) is significantly lower than the journey by plane or car. The European Environment Agency‘s latest report, the Transport and environment 2020 report, indicates that 72% of emissions are due to road transport, 14% to maritime transport and 13% to air transport, while the train is attributed only 0.4%. Travelling by railway is therefore the most environmentally friendly option and more and more people are not only increasingly aware of this, but are also willing to practice it as a necessary and responsible attitude towards the environment.
4.Comfortable and matching your interests
There are many benefits of a journey that begins by train for cyclists, to whom we have dedicated this special issue. In some cases, you can benefit from a bicycle transport service; not to mention that many of the railway stations are located in central locations that allow you to reach points of interest conveniently and quickly.
5. It is cost effective, thanks to collaboration with Trenitalia
Given the recent increases in the cost of fuel and plane tickets, the choice of using the train is certainly economically advantageous. The agreement between Trenitalia and Via Francigena has been renewed for some time now, and allows many pilgrims to alternate their walk with a train journey, offering everyone the best formula according to their own timing and needs. For those who need to reach the initial stage or to return home once the walk is complete, Trenitalia has provided a 10% discount on tickets purchased by Via Francigena pilgrims with the pilgrim’s credential. The Via Francigena, crossing a large part of the Italian Peninsula, as the official route shows, intersects with over 200 stations along the Italian path, which in turn are connected with bus stops and other local public transport. This discount also covers the Via Francigena in Southern Italy, including the stations along the stretch between Rome and Santa Maria di Leuca. If you are planning to experience the Via Francigena on regional rail routes, it is advisable to take advantage of the Italia in Tour 3 and Italia in Tour 5 special offers, which provide unlimited second-class travel on regional trains for 3 days at €29 (€15 for children aged 4 to 12) or for 5 days at €49 (€25 for children aged 4 to 12).
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The discount is valid on regional trains, with departure and arrival in the stations listed in the regulations.
Thanks to the partnership with Trenitalia, the Via Francigena becomes accessible to all those who want to undertake the walk, regardless of their physical fitness or the time available.
