Author: Redazione AEVF

For the first time since 1998, the “Transitum Padi” boat, the shuttle for pilgrims along the Via Francigena across Sigeric’s ford on the Po River, has been suspended.

The lack of rainfall in recent weeks caused an extreme drought in the river which made crossing it with a boat particularly dangerous, as the risk of getting stranded or damaging the vehicle has increased. It was a decision that had never been made – in the more than 20 years of work of the ‘Charon of the Via Francigena’.

Ferryman Danilo Parisi decided to suspend the service over the weekend of June 19, after accompanying the last pilgrims from the Lodi side of Corte Sant’Andrea to Soprarivo on their way to Piacenza. It was an inevitable decision given the conditions of the river: even for a boat of only a few seats, crushing into the sand under the surface of the water or avoiding logs and debris became too dangerous.

The mayor of Caledasco Filippo Zangrandi spoke on the matter, explaining that “in order not to endanger the boat, the choice was made to interrupt the ford on the Via Francigena.” The Interregional Agency for the Po River AIPO, in fact, strongly advised against navigation for safety reasons, emphasizing that within the navigable channel there are stretches with depths below 50 centimeters.

The situation of Italy’s largest river is worrying, and the effects of climate change and rising global temperatures are evident and undeniable. There are many provinces in Italy which are taking regulation steps to limit the waste of water resources in these hot summer months, and we too join in urging you to pay attention to water consumption: while it is good to stay well hydrated while walking, at home we can avoid excessively long showers and running our taps for too long, for example when brushing teeth or washing dishes, but we can also limit the amount of water we use to water plants. Together we can help prevent major drought problems that this summer’s scorching weather puts before us.

For updates on suspension and resumption of the service contact Danilo Parisi: tel. +39 0523 771607

Signposting is an essential element of the route for pilgrims traveling along an itinerary such as the Via Francigena on foot or by bicycle; the EAVF, in all four countries crossed by the Via, is constantly in contact with national and local institutions in charge of maintaining the routes to make sure they are kept clean, accessible and always well signposted, especially at the crossroads.

In the Italian section there are many friend associations of the EAVF, as well as professional workers and volunteers who contribute to this choral action: on the Via Francigena in Lazio north of Rome, for example, members and friends of CAI (Club Alpino Italiano) in Viterbo’s section physically maintain the route, while south of Rome the Gruppo dei Dodici is particularly active.

Thus, it is our friend associations, whom we thank from the bottom of our hearts, that make this essential service for pilgrims and hikers possible. Maintenance and signage activities on the route are carried out in close collaboration with municipal administrations (in Italy they are the entities in charge of operating upon such issues) and with the coordination of regional administrations – following the guidelines of EAVF’s Vademecum for the Via’s route, published in 2016 and yearly updated.

This spring, a technical team led by the EAVF in close synergy with the Region of Lazio travelled all the stages of the Via Francigena in Lazio – both north and south of Rome – to place additional ‘light signage’ in more than 1,200 points across the region. These adhesive markers – coloured white and red for the walking route and white and blue for the biking route – provide a practical and quick supplementary system that points pilgrims in their direction along off-road routes and paved roads, in the areas where it is not possible to place other types of signs or markings.

Regione Lazio represents a best practice – an example to be pursued for the maintenance of the Via Francigena route, in which the collaboration among multiple bodies and entities ensures fully viable and signposted paths.

Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica, in preparation for the 2025 Jubilee, installed a new reception point for pilgrims arriving in Rome from the Via Francigena.

After going through the State Police controls, you can find the reception point just before climbing the stairs that access the Portico of the Basilica, on your right side.

In this reception point in the Vatican you can collect your Testimonium, the official certificate certifying the pilgrimage to Rome ‘devotionis causa’, recognized to all those who have traveled at least 100 km on foot or 200 km by bicycle – as verified by the stamps present on the credential.

The reception point will be open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

For communications and reservations, please contact the appropriate office:

email: accoglienza@fsp.va

Tel: +39 06 6982 (switchboard) and ask for extension 82137

Cellphone: +39 366 5775511

P&O Ferries resumed foot passenger service on the ferry between Dover and Calais as of Friday June 17th.

This finally allows Via Francigena pilgrims departing from Canterbury to cross the English Channel and reach France.

This is very good news after the uneasy situation that had been ongoing from March to now. We hope that this service will be maintained on a regular basis.

As a reminder, P&O Ferries is the only carrier offering foot passenger service across the English Channel, while neither DFDS nor Irish Ferries, the other companies operating on this route, have plans to offer foot service in the short term.

For those interested in crossing the Channel via ferry, you can reserve a seat directly on the P&O Ferries website. Updates on the service are also available in real time on the company’s Twitter profile.

On 6 June 2022 at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Rome, representatives of the European Association Via Francigena ways and the European Cultural Itinerary of Ss. Cyril and Methodius signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between the two itineraries.

The ceremony took place in the presence of the Ambassador H. E. Hana Hubáčková; the Councillor for Mobility Policies of the Municipality of Rome Eugenio Patanè and the representatives of the two associations, the Municipality of Rome, the Region of Zlín and Silvio Marino for the Region of Lazio.

The Memorandum of Cooperation was created to offer cultural tourism alternatives along both routes, while creating development and marketing projects. Targeted programs are also underway to mark out parallel sections of both routes, for example between Tuscany and Rome, where the tomb of St Cyril is located. Both paths are part of the over 40 cultural routes certified by the Council of Europe, whose program currently involves 36 European countries.

“The Via Francigena serves to develop dialogue between Anglo-Saxon and Mediterranean Europe. With this act we integrate Western Europe with Eastern Europe. Thus we can develop a dialogue throughout Europe, which is why this signature is so important“, said EAVF’s President Massimo Tedeschi.

“Rome is approaching a very important appointment because in 2025 we will celebrate the jubilee. Therefore, the paths of faith will have an even greater significance that year than they do now“, added Councillor Patané. “That is why we are betting a lot on this asset because it is a cultural, religious, historical and also economic asset. Therefore, we are very happy to work with you over the next few years to make this agreement we have found concrete, to make what was signed today a reality“.

The Cyril and Methodius Route is based on a millenary cultural tradition, linked in particular to the culture of the Slavic countries. The route links the places where Saints Cyril and Methodius, co-patrons of Europe, worked and where their legacy was spread by their followers. More than 1,000 km of marked paths have already been created in the Czech Republic and Slovakia using the routes of Czech and Slovak hiking clubs.

Combining the train with the routes of the Via Francigena for a sustainable experience and discovery of the territory: this is the aim of the partnership between Trenitalia (Gruppo FS Italiane) and the European Association of Vie Francigene, promoting together tourism and social and environmental sustainability.

The agreement allows all pilgrims to alternate walking with travelling by train, offering each rambler the best formula, based on their own timing and needs. For this very reason, Trenitalia has provided a 10% discount on tickets purchased by Via Francigena pilgrims.

This possibility is linked to the very characteristics of the Via Francigena, which intersects with over 200 stations located directly along the path and connected in turn with bus stops and other local public transport.
In this way, pilgrims can reach the Via Francigena route with absolute ease by using public transport.

On regional trains, from 29 May to 26 September 2022, it is possible to take advantage of the Junior offer with which children up to 15 years of age travel free every day of the week, if accompanied by an adult over 25. Also available during the same period is the Summer Together offer at €39 for unlimited travel on regional trains from 12 noon on Friday to 12 noon the following Monday for four consecutive weekends.

For those who, on the other hand, wish to discover the Italian Peninsula on board regional trains, the Italia in Tour offer is available: unlimited travel for 3 days at €29 (€15 for children and young people aged 4 to 12) or for 5 days at €49 (€25 for children and young people aged 4 to 12).

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The discount is valid on regional trains, boarding and alighting at the stations listed in the regulations.

*Click here for more information*

*Follow the instructions to take advantage of the discount*

*Consult the regulations*

Thanks to the partnership with Trenitalia, the Via Francigena becomes accessible to everyone, even to those who are unsure about their fitness or don’t have much time at their disposal, ensuring the possibility of enjoying the walk, being in the open air and exploring the territory.

Discover the special offers for those in possession of a pilgrim’s credential

Buy your Trenitalia ticket now

Scienza Servizievole in Cammino (Itinerant Science at Service) is a rambling project that stems from Professor Daniela Lucangeli‘s idea of spreading scientific knowledge – a science that is experienced, shared and put at the service of the community.

From June to September, in fact, participants in the project, led by Giuseppe Giorato, will cross the Italian Via Francigena together with experts from the world of science, pedagogy, culture and professionals from the scientific community. Their knowledge will be offered at the service of educators, teachers, operators, researchers, specialists, but also of families and curious people who would like to join the walk.

The walk is organised in collaboration with Mind4Children, a Spin-Off of the University of Padua, Heart4Children APS and the Association for the National Coordination of Specialised Teachers and Research on Handicap Situations (CNIS), of which Lucangeli is President. The journey will cover 1800 km in 90 stages, starting in Valle D’Aosta and ending in Basilicata, Matera. Hand in hand with the journey, conferences, congresses and shows will be held on the very topics under study.

The very first date is 11 June in Turin, where the official presentation of the project will be held and Daniela Lucangeli and Alessandro D’Avenia will hold the conference ‘Step by step towards the School I would like: dialogue on a possible school’, in Italian.

Immediately after this presentation, the journey will begin: on 13 June it will start at the Colle del Gran San Bernardo in Valle d’Aosta, to arrive on 14 September in Matera, passing through Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Tuscany, Lazio, Campania and Apulia.

Stay up-to-date on the scheduled stages and events by following the ‘Scienza Servizievole in Cammino’ Facebook page.

Two names build a strong message to give life to an emblematic itinerary.

From Canterbury, UK, to Santa Maria di Leuca in southern Italy, along the footsteps of Bishop Sigeric.

And the GR® 145 in France, which starts in Calais to reach the Swiss border after a journey of more than 700 km, building the Via Francigena.

It was here, in the north of France, that a partnership began when the FFRandonnée was invited by the EAVF to create a GR® (with the number 145) to promote this cultural route and facilitate its journey to Switzerland.

But who is the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre? And what is its role within France and its territories?

Without going back over its history, let us recall that the FFRandonnée was born in 1947, when a few people passionate about walking and discovering the natural wealth of France created the first GR® routes (GR® 1, GR® 2, GR®3, GR®4, etc.), and today there are almost 350 GR® routes of various lengths, totalling nearly 120,000 kilometres. Over all these years, the FFRandonnée has developed a know-how through its committees that is now recognised.

This know-how concerns the design and development of the GR® routes and its criteria, the work for signposting and maintenance, digitisation with the enhancements that allow to share data, IGN maps, geographical information systems or mobile applications to be kept up to date.  The FFRandonnée has recently revisited and strongly reaffirmed its major orientations in the current federal plan 2021-2028. It is important to share its ambition here:

-To make the FFRandonnée a protagonist of outdoor sports;

-To make the FFRandonnée an important social player, responding creatively to a changing demand for walking routes.

The collaboration between our two structures was natural. From 2021 we have an agreement to coordinate our actions. A team of walkers participated in part of the great itinerary set up for the twentieth anniversary of the European Association of the Via Francigena, Road to Rome 2021, and relationships were forged marking a turning point in our approach in this field, confirmed by cross-participation in our respective general meetings. A fine programme of collaboration project is in perspective, close to all our departmental committees and for the benefit of all hikers!

Claudie Grossard, President of the National Commission for Trails and Itineraries

Jean-Claude Marie, Vice-President FFRandonnée

The new guide dedicated to the Via Francigena in Southern Italy is now on sale in Italian bookshops, as well as on the official website of the publisher Terre di Mezzo.

The guide was presented and sold in preview at the Fa’ la cosa giusta! 2022 fair, at FieraMilanoCity, where the EAVF participated from 29 April to 1 May 2022: the fair, now in its eighteenth edition, devotes its attention to sustainable lifestyles and critical and conscious consumption choices, with an entire department specifically focusing on the great walking itineraries of Italy.   

Angelofabio Attolico, EAVF’s representative for the Via’s stretch south of Rome and one of the authors of the guidebook, presented the guidebook to the public in the hall, in the company of Gianfranco Lopane, Councillor for Tourism of the Region of Puglia, Roberto Battista, from the Tourism Agency of the Region of Lazio, Rosanna Romano and Felice Casucci from the Region of Campania, and EAVF’s President Massimo Tedeschi. The presentation was moderated by Andrea Mattei, journalist for the national Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper. 

This is the first printed guide dedicated to the 930 km of the Via Francigena stretch linking Rome to the Apulian Finis Terrae, Santa Maria di Leuca, crossing territories in Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and the whole length of Puglia. Starting from the Appia Antica Park, the route continues to Terracina, Gaeta, Sessa Aurunca and Benevento, a strategic junction point between the Via Appia and the Via Traiana.  

Approaching the Apulian section, pilgrims can take a number of different trails, travelling along the Matera route; arriving in Monte Sant’Angelo on the Gargano peninsula and then the coastal path linking it to Bari; heading towards Brindisi, to reach the ports linking Italy to the Holy Land and from there perhaps continuing walking to Jerusalem; or they can continue their journey along the coast towards Salento to arrive in Santa Maria di Leuca, reaching the end of the ‘Italian heel’, where the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet. 

For each stage the guide indicates a detailed map, the altimetry, the points where to stock up on water, indications on the type of terrain on which you walk (dirt or asphalt), information on where to sleep and what to visit, etc. There are also suggestions for some short trips and the key information for the Bradanica route leading to Matera.

The guide is currently only available in Italian and is focused on walking trips, although most of the route, as it is described in the guide, can also be undertaken by bicycle.  

Click here to learn more about the new guidebook or to buy a copy.

We are happy to announce that, starting today, the Region of Lazio officially collaborates with our Association. Together we aim to enhance the quality of the Via Francigena legs that cross this territory.

The Lazio section of the Via Francigena is, in fact, particularly important for the development of the itinerary: not only because it accompanies pilgrims to their destination – Rome, the Vatican City – but also because from there the path leads them to Santa Maria di Leuca, the Italian Finis Terrae of the route. Lazio is therefore the bridge, the crossroad, the meeting point between the Via Francigena of Sigeric the Serious and the Via Francigena in Southern Italy.

The Via has 21 stages on foot in Lazio, 10 north – starting from Proceno, the Tuscan border – and 11 south of Rome, along the ancient Via Appia, leading to Minturno and the Campania border. Crossing the territory of Lazio allows exploring an infinite variety of landscapes, stories and eras, traveling among views that bridge between sea and land, local traditions and traditional gastronomic specialties.

Visit the official website to discover the region of Lazio

Lazio therefore earns the privilege (and the responsibility!) of being one of the longest regions to cross. This is a challenge that we have decided to take up with the Region of Lazio, in partnership: by joining forces, we will be able to offer pilgrims a safe route where accessibility, signposting and refreshment points can make the experience of the itinerary unique, whether on foot, by bicycle or on horseback.

We will periodically update you on this important collaboration. If you have any reporting to share with us regarding the Via Francigena in Lazio, please do not hesitate to contact us: the opinion of our pilgrims is of essential importance to offer an itinerary which is increasingly beautiful to experience, one step at a time.