The network of the European Association of the Via Francigena Ways (EAVF) is growing. 2019 ended with the accession of three Swiss municipalities from the Canton of Valais: Evionnaz, Martigny and Orsières. The Department of Doubs, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region, France and the Municipality of San Severo, Apulia Region, Italy also joined the EAVF.
That is why the number of the EAVF members among the European municipalities, provinces and regions rises to 173 and the number of friends’ associations reaches 60. That is truly an important milestone at the end of the year full of commitments and growth for the EAVF, which on 18 October 2019 during the General Assembly in Bari ratified the extension of the itinerary from Rome to Santa Maria di Leuca.
The association will continue to enhance the itinerary in 2020 with a big appointment in the calendar: the EAVF General Assembly which will take place for the first time in Canterbury, Kent, the United Kingdom – the city of the “zero km of the Via Francigena“.
“AEVF will celebrate 19 years since its foundation in 2020 by strengthening its roots in the four countries crossed by the Via Francigena. The route is based on the principles of democracy and intercultural dialogue of the Council of Europe, which glue people and local communities, uniting the Via Francigena territories“, – said the EAVF President Massimo Tedeschi.
All EAVF members can benefit from the “2020 Member’s Package” which includes important opportunities and resources useful for promoting the itinerary. The 2020 member’s package is available online at the official EAVF website (click here), with a renewed graphic design, in English, Italian and French. The EAVF is the Carrier Network of the Council of Europe since 2007 – the only body authorized to promote the Via Francigena cultural route at the European level.
The EAVF members are municipalities, provinces, regions, LAGs (Local Action Groups) and Comunità Montane italiane (Italian Mountain Communities) as well as all public entities established in accordance with the laws of the States they belong to and operating on the basis of the principles of the Council of ‘Europe.
Advantages of the EAVF members are direct relationship with the European institutions, access to national, regional and community tenders and calls, participation in the application process for inscription of the Via Francigena on the UNESCO World Heritage List, trainings and consultancy for local and private entities, organization of events (annual walks such as “I love Francigena“), participation in national and international fairs, use of the official EAVF logo.
Communication opportunities provided for members are the multilingual website https://www.viefrancigene.org/en/ with news and events; social channels, the magazine “Via Francigena and the European Cultural Routes” and the mobile application. The EAVF guarantees visibility on all associative communication tools.
Interested members can receive, upon request, the supply of the Pilgrims’ Passport, brochures and flyers, maps and the official guide from the Great Saint Bernard Pass to Rome published by Terre di Mezzo (available in English, French and Italian) and the official guide from Canterbury to the Great Saint Bernard Pass edited by Favre.
Many projects and services are being developed along the European itinerary, as the Via Francigena ever grows and expands.
More information and insights: https://www.viefrancigene.org/en/AEVF/Associarsi/
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