On Saturday, 15th March, at the “Fa’ la cosa giusta!” fair, held at the Milano Rho exhibition centre from 14th to 16th March, the promotional plan for the Via Francigena, supported by the Italian Ministry of Tourism, was presented.
As part of the Development and Cohesion Plan for the promotion of the Via Francigena, the Ministry of Tourism has allocated €1.7 million, which is part of the overall €3.8 million funding for Action 33 – Via Francigena – Cross-Cutting Actions.
The goal is to improve the accessibility and usability of the path through communication, promotional activities, and smart signage.
The funds are being used to carry out activities in close collaboration with the 9 Italian regions involved: Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Tuscany, Lazio (lead region), Campania, and Puglia, as well as the European Association of the Via Francigena Ways (EAVF).
The areas of intervention range from the creation of promotional and advertising campaigns to communication with storytelling dedicated to the Via Francigena; from the restyling of the website and app to an international media campaign; from press tours in the 9 regions with international journalists and bloggers to participation in international tourism fairs (such as the Travel & Adventure Show in New York in January and the Destinations Nature fair in Paris in March). Lastly, an information desk will be set up at Santiago de Compostela airport between May and June.
This information was shared during the panel dedicated to the “Via Francigena and the Jubilee,” held in the Grand Walks space of the fair. The meeting, moderated by EAVF Director Luca Bruschi, featured contributions from the Minister for Tourism, Daniela Santanchè, who engaged in a discussion with Ilenia Cardogna, Tourism Councillor for the Lazio Region, Barbara Bellini, Tourism Director for the Piedmont Region, Aldo Patruno, Tourism Director for the Lazio Region and Vice-President of EAVF.
Following the meeting, Minister Santanchè, together with ENIT CEO Ivana Jelinic, visited the Via Francigena stand to meet EAVF President Francesco Ferrari and the staff, and also left a message on the “Wall of Signatures” dedicated to the itinerary.
