Author: Redazione AEVF

On 8th September the “I Love Francigena” debuts in Emilia Romagna, the first two days of walking along the Emilian leg of Sigeric’s route.

The initiative, organised by the European Association of Via Francigena Ways (EAVF), in collaboration with APT Emilia-Romagna and with the technical support of ItinerAria S.r.l. and Associazione Fiorenzuola in Movimento, was born with the aim to animate, promote and enrich the European route.

Registration for the two events sold out in no time at all. The number of places was even increased to accommodate the growing number of participants. A real success of bookings arrived online (https://camminiemiliaromagna.it) which led to the early closing of registrations.

Sure enough, the hikers will be the protagonists of the trip which crosses two legs of the Francigena in the province of Parma and Piacenza. On the 8th September the participants will discover the Fidenza – Medesano leg (22,4km – medium). The day will begin at the station at 8:15am with a brief visit to the Cathedral. Between small breaks, guided visits and the Francigena landscape our participants will arrive at Medesano in the afternoon, where they will be greeted by the town administrators and an aperitif.

On the 15th September, “I Love Francigena” will animate the Fiorenzuola d’Arda – Fidenza leg (22,3km – easy), continuing the mission to discover the route, involving associations and administrators, making people aware of the territory and checking route maintenance, including signage. Participants will walk along easy, rural country roads, with their gazes turned to the horizon where the hills preannounce the Appennini.

An event to experience and narrate: the photos taken during the walk will be launched on the APT Emilia-Romagna and the European Association of Via Francigena Ways websites through a social campaign with the hashtags: #EmiliaRomagnaSlow, #ViaFrancigena and #ILoveFrancigena.

“I Love Francigena is a wonderful project experimented last year in Lombardy. This year it will take place in Emilia Romagna thanks to our collaboration with APT – says EAVF president, Massimo Tedeschi – It is an event that involves local communities, authorities and associations to promote the Via Francigena and its focus on the environment. It’s a format that gains approval and acceptance to share and extend on a European level in territories crossed by the Francigena”.

The two I Love Francigena dates have been organised in collaboration with and with the support of the municipalities of Fiorenzuola d’Arda, Fidenza and Medesano.

More information here

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Work days in Champlitte to develop the Via Francigena in France, where there is a continuous growth of pilgrims on the road.

On Thursday 9^th August, at the town hall, the local administrations and the European Association of the Via Francigena Ways met for a comparison of the ongoing and future planning of the Via Francigena in the long French stretch. The chairman, Massimo Tedeschi, the vice-president, Martine Gautheron and the director, Luca Bruschi, on behalf of the EAVF.

Since August 2016 the municipality of Champlitte has hosted the EAVF headquarters in France and is helping to set up the network of local players involved in the promotion and development of the European cultural route. Not long ago, on 18^th May Champlitte, located in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, hosted the EAVF General Assembly with a great turn out from the 4 countries of the Via Francigena: England, France, Switzerland and Italy.

15 municipalities and departments in France are members of EAVF to date. One of our latest additions is that of Calais, the starting point of the French section, while in September Besancon is expected to join.

The discussion between the administrators and the EAVF focused on the important project of the official Canterbury-Great St Bernard Pass guide, scheduled for release in April 2019. The guide, published by Suisse Itinerance and produced in collaboration with the EAVF, looks at both the GR145 route and Sigeric’s historical route.

In mid-September the agreement between the EAVF and the Federation Francaise de la Randonnee Pedestre will be formally signed in Paris and will make the GR145 route available to us.

The meeting in Champlitte’s also focused on other significant points, such as:

– hospitality for pilgrims and the improvement of reception facilities according to the minimum standards found in the Vademecum implemented by the EAVF and European regions.

– vertical and light signage to be placed in collaboration with municipalities and associations. A project to develop tourist information at the entrance to municipalities has also been envisaged.

– promotion through participation in trade fairs dedicated to hiking such as annual exhibitions in Paris, Lyon, Besançon.

– communication with the documentary film that will be launched in the spring of 2019 to raise awareness of the Canterbury-Alps section, involving about ten walkers.

On the following day, 10^th August, a further meeting took place to discuss the two-year renewal of the EAVF / Champlitte convention and to permanently establish an operational office to support the entire French section. The aim of the EAVF is to make the journey even more “international”, a meeting place for peoples and cultures of the Council of Europe’s cultural routes.

Good news for pilgrims walking along the La Storta – Rome leg. Maintenance work has been carried out and the Insugherata Park has been cleaned up. As announced by Roma Natura on the official website.

The high vegetation and the scrubland had made the passage across the park more difficult, so much so that we recommended pilgrims pass along the Via Trionfale, available on the official Via Francigena app.

After several reports, the long-awaited clear up has been carried out and the park is once again accessible.

Hospitality and services are two fundamental features for those who begin walking. Visit Vie Francigene is the project launched by the European Association of the Via Francigena Ways (EAVF) which promotes the structures connected to the Way.

Hostels, hotels, restaurants, bars and other enterprises: over 350 operators have chosen to take advantage of the service offered by the EAVF.

The Visit Vie Francigene network represents a meeting point between pilgrims and existing structures along the European route, which organises excursions and provides services. An ever-important window to the route, both on the website and on social networks. The first step on the Francigena actually begins online with our practical and functional travel information.

The Visit network allows members to be identified by walkers thanks to the EAVF website, www.viefrancigene.org – with over 1,300,000 visitors in 2017 – and the official Via Francigena app, which can be downloaded for free on iOS and Android.

The structures that join Visit Vie Francigene will be promoted on the official Via Francigena portal with photos, addresses and useful information regarding the services offered. The information will also be on the EAVF social pages. From online to paper: the activities that belong to the Visit family are included in the constantly updated list of affiliated facilities sent to pilgrims using the EAVF Pilgrim Passport.

Displayed at the entrance of the structures included in the Visit Via Francigena project are the official “Visit” window stickers, which promotes their part in the Via Francigena community. Many structures offer a personalised stamp with the pilgrim logo. The Visit group adopt a certain standard of quality and share the philosophy of a proposal that focuses on the walker’s experience.

Visit Vie Francigene is an opportunity to experience the Via Francigena online, in a European project of great cultural and social importance. For more information contact: visit@viefrancigene.org or visit the dedicated page: https://www.viefrancigene.org/it/entrare-nella-nostra-rete/

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