The Sanctuary of San Michele in Monte Sant’Angelo in Puglia, the symbolic image of the 47th edition of the “Via Francigena and the European Cultural Routes” magazine.

The biannual magazine of the European Association of Via Francigena Ways (EAVF) edited by Studio Guidotti, presents a special on the Via Francigena of the South and a cover displaying the beauty of land revered by pilgrims, a pilgrimage crossroad.

Presenting the new edition at the General Assembly in Besançon in France on the 14th June, was the EAVF president, Massimo Tedeschi. The title was “Via Francigena, Way of Culture“, dedicated to 18 years of the association. “An important goal that we weren’t sure we’d achieve, least of all with such success” said the president; from a voluntary network founded in Fidenza in 2001, it has grown to 155 local and regional entities of Europe, from Canterbury to Rome, to Puglia, along a 3,000km route crossing England, France, Switzerland and Italy. 

The Via Francigena is a route animated by a number of initiatives: projects and stories that bring attention to the route. Among the events narrated in this edition is the miniseries “The Road to Rome” created and broadcast by the BBC, following a group of celebrities hiking from Martigny (Switzerland) to Rome, as well as the interview with Andrea Devicenzi, the Paralympic athlete travelling the Francigena. It’s a route which has grown across the pilgrim landscape thanks to the work put in by associations, administrations and volunteers, such as the “Trail Angels“. In the Places and Routes section, the magazine talks about the development of the French Francigena from Calais to Pontarlier and the “I Love Francigena” in France with four walking dates in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

The Swiss Francigena tells us about St Bernard dogs, our famous and fun four-legged friends at the Great St Bernard Pass hospice of the second half of the 17th Century. Curiosity and taste, with a section dedicated to Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. A lot of time and space has been dedicated to the international projects active in the areas: from the collaboration between the EAVF and Banca Generali Private, to the synergy with Decathlon; from the Routes4U project to project Eurasia and returning to the “Francigena in Comune” project. 

Filled with news, curiosities and photos, it’s a trilingual magazine which can be viewed online and as a paper copy. Visit the magazine website at: www.rivistaviafrancigena.it

See you with the next edition! (Download the cover below)

EAVF press release.