A Cultural Route operator can be an organisation or a grouping of organisations legally registered in one or several of the Council of Europe member States, or a public institution, which carries the legal, financial and moral responsibility for the management and functioning of a cultural route and represents the route vis-à-vis the Council of Europe. The Via Francigena’s operator is the European Association of the Via Francigena Ways, the Council of Europe’s carrier network. It has a legal form of an international association and unites 179 local authorities and 60 non-profit organizations in England, France, Switzerland and Italy as well as more than 300 private stakeholders in hospitality and tourism sectors.
More information here https://www.viefrancigene.org/en/about-us/.
By 2022 the Council of Europe certified 45 Cultural Routes, crossing 46 Member States of the Organization and far beyond and promoting shared European memory and culture. The Via Francigena, one of the oldest certified Cultural Routes, puts into practice the values of the Council of Europe: human rights, cultural diversity and mutual exchanges across borders. It provides educational activities young Europeans and key resources for responsible tourism and sustainable development.
The routes’ networks, together composed of over 1,600 members, are examples of successful partnerships of public and private stakeholders, representatives of local and regional authorities, associations and private sector.
Certification for the Cultural Route Label
The prestigious Cultural Route Label is granted upon fulfilment of criteria, defined by the Council of Europe.
The principal criteria state that a cultural route candidate should:
- Have a European theme of the route (uniting countries, cultures and traditions);
- European network (establishment of an international association with a minimum 3 members from the CoE member states);
- Respond to 5 priority fields of actions: multidisciplinary research (necessity for the Scientific Committee); enhancement of memory, history and European heritage; contemporary cultural and artistic practice; cultural and educational exchanges for young Europeans; tourism and sustainable development.
The already certified Cultural Routes are a subject of regular evaluation, which occurs every 3 years. Their activities and governance are assessed on the conformity with the Council of Europe criteria for Cultural Routes. More details here.
The EAVF was certified as a carrier network of the Via Francigena route on 9 February 2007. It was a subject of evaluation in 2013, in 2016 and in 2019, and proudly re-confirmed its label of a cultural route.
Evaluation reports:
– 2013 by Prof. Pierre Frustier
– 2016 by Prof. Pierre Frustier
– 2019 by Prof. Alessia Mariotti