The EAVF continues offering thematic hikes in the series of “I love Francigena” events along the most beautiful stretches of the route.
This time the circular hike will be conducted on 15 October 2022 and will run around the city of Viterbo in the quest for its natural thermal baths with ever hot mineral water. The group will be accompanied by a guide and will have a chance to enjoy the healing properties of mineral waters by taking a bath in the pools upon arrival.
The city of Viterbo is known for its thermal springs and archaeological sites from Etruscan and Roman times and is on the final 70km distance from Rome, the Via Francigena terminus.
The previous hikes of “I love Francigena Thermal” took place in May 2022 in Bagno Vignoni and Gambassi Terme in Tuscany.
* participants who are not members of the EAVF may only attend the Assembly as auditors, as voting rights are reserved for members
The General Assembly and the events in Viterbo are open to the public upon registration.
The EAVF’s international network returns to meet in physical presence after the well-attended General Assembly in Canterbury (Kent County, UK) in April 2022. The main item on the agenda will be the discussion on the status of the candidature of the Via Francigena as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Attention will then turn to the main projects underway in England, France, Switzerland and Italy. Finally, a special focus will be on the best practices concerning the route, reception and signposting.
The meeting in Viterbo includes, in addition to the statutory assembly attended by the 214 member municipalities and 70 friend associations, a series of discussions, cultural events, guided tours, convivial moments and a ‘I Love Francigena‘ walk from 13 to 15 October.
The World Tourism Day was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1979. This year celebration stresses the importance of tourism for a greener, smarter and safer future. A special attention is paid to the post-pandemic recovery of tourism and its transformation into the tool of inclusive and accessible mobility, community empowerment and innovative change.
The Via Francigena was already selected by the UNWTO as a “best practice” for sustainable development in the tourism sector in 2021, when the cultural route conducted a relay march along the 3200 km of the historic itinerary from Canterbury (UK), via France, Switzerland and Italy to Rome to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the foundation of the European Association of Via Francigena Ways (EAVF). The richness and uniqueness of the areas crossed by the route, its history, landscapes, cultural and natural heritage, gastronomy traditions and local communities represent a strong basis for the development of both outdoor and cultural tourism offers.
Join our hikes in France and Italy to celebrate the World Tourism Day 2022:
Hike 1: from 21 to 23 September 2022 between Vitry-le-François and Brienne-le-Château (Grand-Est, France)
Hike 2: from 30 September to 2 October 2022 between Bruay-la-Buissière and Blessy (Hauts-de-France, France)
Hike 3: from 7 to 9 October 2022 between Mamirolle a Saône and Besançon (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France)
The collaboration between the European Association of Via Francigena Ways and FlixBus does not stop with the end of the summer, but will go forth in the coming weeks to continue offering an integrated, convenient and green travel solution for pilgrims who decide to undertake the route during the low season. In fact, FlixBus reserved particular care for the attenders of the Via Francigena, dedicating a special discount to them (it is sufficient to have an official credential).
By extending the collaboration over time, EAVF and FlixBus continue to pursue the objective of making the most of the territories which are covered by the agreement, revealing all their treasures and allowing people to discover them in a new and unprecedented way, thus encouraging the affirmation of increasingly sustainable modes of tourism according to the deseasonalisation and devolution of flows.
Coop has always supported healthy and sustainable lifestyles, and in this post-Covid19 relaunch year it chooses to be a truly active promoter of outdoor physical activity and slow tourism. With these objectives in mind, Coop organised a series of walks free of charge, suitable to all and open to the public at the beginning of summer, and offers 7 more hikes during October 2022!
In particular, Coop approached Francigena Service S.r.l. as its organising partner and as technical-logistical creator of the events along the Via Francigena route. Starting on 1 October 2022, we will be holding a total of seven walks with free participation along the Italian Via Francigena, with the format of the well-known ‘I Love Francigena‘ events. The next tours will cover the regions Piedmont, Lombardy, Liguria and Emilia-Romagna and will require registration (free of charge) at least 5 days before the hike.
Do you want to participate? Discover the stages, register and join us for the stage you prefer!
The hikes are organised with the aim of exploring and promoting the cultural, historical and natural heritage as well as the products of local gastronomy along the route of the Via. The itineraries we cover are suitable for everyone and groups will always be accompanied by an experiencedenvironmental and hiking guide.
We also walked with Coop Outdoor in June and July 2022!
Here are some of our latest itineraries:
Piedmont:from Palazzo Canavese to Viverone
Emilia-Romagna: from Cassio to Berceto
Liguria: from Ponzano Superiore to Sarzana
Tuscany: from Gambassi Terme to S. Gimignano and from Strove to Monteriggioni
The European Association of Via Francigena ways took part in the 4th General Meeting of the European project rurAllure, dedicated to the enhancement of cultural heritage along the main cultural routes of Europe, together with the Way of St. James, the Via Romea Strata, the Romea Germanica, the Way of Mary and the Way of St. Olav.
It is a three-year project involving public and private partners and institutions from seven countries, financed by the European Commission and entirely focused on the potential of pilgrimages.
The project meeting was held on 5 and 6 September 2022 in Bratislava and Budapest, where the EAVF rurAllure team – consisting of Elena Dubinina, Simona Spinola and Nicole Franciolini – presented the status of the activities carried out since January 2021. The staff’s contribution is linked in particular to the promotion of rural heritage along the Council of Europe’s cultural routes – with a focus on mapping and dissemination activities for the main points of interest of the Via Francigena related to the thermal heritage of the three Ways to Rome addressed by the pilot project “Thermal heritage and others on the Ways to Rome“.
Completing the team’s activities are the development of a Via Francigena atlas and the organisation of events with free participation, aimed at spreading the message of an increasingly inclusive route. Among the best practices highlighted by the rurAllure Consortium are the weekend walks in Tuscany with free participation “I Love Francigena Termale“, organised in collaboration with the municipalities of Castiglione d’Orcia, Gambassi Terme, San Gimignano and San Quirico d’Orcia, but also with the precious support of Proloco Gambassi Terme and The Gambassi Experience. A moment of knowledge-sharing on the road, open to pilgrims and tourists discovering the Parco dei Mulini, the water square of Bagno Vignoni and the hypothermal springs of I Bollori and Putizza on the banks of Rio Casciani, in the surroundings of Gambassi Terme.
During the rurAllure meeting, the team of the Autonomous University of Madrid presented the workshop dedicated to blind people on the Via Francigena in Bagno Vignoni. The event, which happened last July, had the aim of bringing individuals with visual disabilities closer to the thermal heritage through a series of sensorial experiences on the field.
A workshop aimed at making the Via Francigena accessible to all, within the ‘Thermal Via Francigena‘ project of which the municipality of San Quirico d’Orcia is an official member. On the occasion of our walk, we were supported by relief maps and 3D models made by geologist Riccardo Rocca, which enabled participants to understand the geographical conformation and geological composition of the route, including height differences and indications in Braille.
Photo Gallery
EAVF General Assembly, Pavia (Italy) | 20 October 2023
