Category: news_en

Last November an agreement was signed between the European Association of the Via Francigena Ways and the European Federation of the Saint James Ways. This historic agreement initiated a collaboration between the two cultural routes recognised by the Council of Europe in 1994 and 1987 respectively, and travelled each year by thousands of pilgrims from all over the world.

The three-year collaboration includes among its main objectives the valorisation of slow and sustainable tourism and of the cultural heritage linked to pilgrimage routes; the dissemination of good practices; the joint creation of a network involving bodies and associations focused on responsible tourism; and the co-participation in actions, events and projects aimed at promoting European pilgrimage routes. The two pilgrimage routes have been investigated within the European Horizon 2020 project rurAllure (2021-2023), aimed at promoting the cultural heritage and the main European pilgrimage routes.

Thanks to this new agreement, the Presidents of the two itineraries Massimo Tedeschi and Ildefonso de la Campa Montenegro signed the commitment of the respective Associations they represent. An event that occurs in a particularly important three-year period for the world of walking: in addition to the Jubilee of 2025, in 2023 the French Way celebrates its 30th anniversary as a UNESCO heritage site, while in 2024 AEVF celebrates the 30th anniversary of the recognition of the Via Francigena as a Council of Europe cultural itinerary. “An agreement of enormous importance which sees the two most important European routes working side by side, with mutual benefits generated by this operational synergy. A first significant result will be the close relationship that can be established between the regions of Galicia and Lazio, crucial points of the Way of St. James and the Via Francigena” commented Massimo Tedeschi.

The municipality of Vetralla (province of Viterbo, Lazio) is located along the Via Francigena at 300 metres above sea level. Known for its characteristic medieval village and the woods of the Cimini mountains – the green lung of Tuscia – it is a land of important Etruscan, Roman, and Barbarian settlements and has a rich artistic and archaeological heritage.

In this borgo, along Via Francigena stage 42 Vetralla-Sutri, the mural ‘Il Cammino’ (The Way) created by painter Alessandro Ridolfi has just been completed. The artwork was realised on the initiative of a committee of local volunteers to enhance the places crossed by the Via Francigena in Vetralla.

The work depicts three different moments of the route travelled by the wayfarer, namely the departure from Canterbury, the first stage of the official itinerary, the stop in Vetralla, and the arrival in Rome, the final destination of the pilgrims on their way to the Vatican along the Italian section, before continuing on to Santa Maria di Leuca on the Via Francigena in Southern Italy.

The work was conceived in 2018 during a series of narrated walks by local committees along the Via Francigena, with the aim of raising awareness of the history of this important route of communications and cultural exchange. As stated in the press release, thanks to donations from participants and voluntary contributions, in 2020 it was possible to commit to Alessandro Ridolfi the first scene representing the arrival in Rome. In 2023, the donations needed to realise the other two scenes were collected, also thanks to the distribution of numbered postcards depicting the sketch of the painting.

Among the characters depicted are deceased friends who will thus continue to walk through the eyes of walkers and pilgrims from all over the world. Alongside the work, all the stages of the Francigena route from Canterbury to Rome have also been recorded. The names of the places were written by pilgrims and citizens who stopped to admire the mural during its creation, thus promoting the sense of involvement and belonging to the community that underlies the initiative.

(Photo of pilgrims from Andrea Natali’s Facebook profile)

2024 will be a special year as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the certification of the Via Francigena as a cultural route of the Council of Europe (1994-2024). The activities that will take place on the occasion of this anniversary want to turn the spotlight on the Via Francigena, a real driving force for cultural and sustainable tourism in the territories it crosses, but also a great peace project.

The two major moments for our association will take place in Vevey (Vaud) on 26 April and in Monte Sant’Angelo (Apulia) at the beginning of October with the EAVF General Assemblies.

Please find the letter addressed to the EAVF members and Friends by President Massimo Tedeschi and Vice-President Francesco Ferrari at the following link: https://www.viefrancigene.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/EAVF_Letter-from-President-and-Deputy-Vice-President_18.12.2023-1.pdf

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. He thus 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. 

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?