Antonio Tajani , Vice-President of the European Commission, Silvia Costa, member of the Culture Committee of the European Parliament, Elke Atzler, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, will attend the international event scheduled in Acquapendente Saturday, May 31, 2014
The city of Acquapendente hosts three major international events related to the Via Francigena: the General Assembly of EAVF, the international conference for celebrating the XX Anniversary of the Via Francigena and the Francigena Marathon, a long walk from Acquapendente to Montefiascone.
On the occasion of the celebrations for the twentieth anniversary (1994-2014) of the recognition of the Via Francigena as Council of Europe Cultural Route, on the 31th of May, the city of Acquapendente (Viterbo, Latium) will host a major international conference, emphasizing, with prestigious international guests, the European dimension of the route.
The Via Francigena represents, together with St. James Way, one of the most prestigious European Cultural Routes and a model for sustainable development along its 2,500 km from Kent to Puglia region. Today this route promotes dialogue between institutions, associations, SME’s and universities with the aim to create sustainable tourism along the Way.
Saturday May 31, from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm, at the Boni Theater will be held an international conference with the participation of Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission, and Silvia Costa, member of the Culture Committee of the European Parliament. Both are, since many years, supporters of the Via Francigena and the Cultural Routes at their respective European institutions. The conference will be also attended by Elke Atzler, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe.
The international framework is enriched by the participation of Velia Coffey (Canterbury City Council), Jean-Paul Carteret (Region Franche-Comté), Jacques Guy (Association Via Francigena France), Raul Santiago (Via Francigena Spain) and Joseph Roduit (Abbot of the millenary abbey of Saint Maurice in Switzerland).
The conference will also include a focus on the Master Plan ofthe Tuscany Region (le long 380km of the tuscany path) and a section of the path in the Lazio region with a look towards the future through the actors who are now engaged for promoting the route.
The EAVF general assembly is scheduled for 3:30 pm and the agenda will include the following: the strategic activities for year 2014, the approval of the budget 2013 and of the economic forecast 2014. During the assembly will be signed an important agreement for the enhancement of the Via Francigena between MiBACT (Italian Ministry for Culture and tourism) and the EAVF with the participation of the General Director Rossana Rummo.
Sunday 1 June is foreseen a walking event called “Via Francigena Marathon“, 42 km from Acquapendente to Montefiascone, passing throught San Lorenzo Nuovo and Bolsena. Pilgrims have possibility of choosing different routes and rest stops offered by the organizers.
Acquapendente, the front door of the Via Francigena in Lazio, prides itself in being the “Jerusalem of Europe” thanks to its pilgrimage tradition since the Middle Ages.
You are all invited to join a weekend full of history, culture and good living in a border area, overlooking Umbria and Tuscany, defined by the many pilgrims who pass through it every year as “one of the most beautiful and exciting passages of the entire Via Francigena”.
