Myra is a Dutch national who has been working and living in Italy for over 12 years. She studied Italian Language & Culture at the University of Utrecht and has worked as Academic Coordinator in the field of international higher education before making a shift towards the slow travel sector.
She deeply cares about the environment and the health of our planet, which is why she decided to set up her environmental iniziative Cycle 2 Recycle. Myra currently works for EAVF as Content Manager & Webmaster, while improving her video shooting & editing skills on the side.
Pilgrims are warned that inside the Ticino Park, before reaching the city of Pavia, a wooden bridge has broken, making passage very difficult, if not impossible. Please pay the utmost attention.
The local authorities have already been notified and are in action to resolve the problem.
Just like previous years, slso this year the Via Francigena did not miss “Fa’ la cosa giusta!”, the trade fair in Milan dedicated to critical consumption and sustainable lifestyles organized by the publishing house Terre di Mezzo. The event, by now a solid point of reference in Milan’s green scene, attracts hundreds of operators, institutions and associations from all over Italy every year, as well as thousands of visitors interested in best practices linked to critical consumption and the enhancement of territorial excellence.
3 days of the fair in only 40 seconds: WATCH THE VIDEO
This year, the “Fa’ la cosa giusta!” fair celebrated its 20th edition with very successful numbers: almost 40,000 visitors and 475 exhibitors throughout the three days at the Allianz MiCo exhibition space. Among the exhibitors, there were numerous stands in the area dedicated to “Conscious Tourism, Walks and Outdoor”, part of the third edition of the “Fiera dei Grandi Cammini“, the most important and unmissable event in Italy on walking and cycling.
“If twenty years ago we had been asked to express a wish for the future, perhaps our imagination would not have gone so far. Instead, here we are once again during this long weekend in which the work of a whole year comes to fruition, in which the small steps that each of us has taken go to delineate a single Path,” said Terre di Mezzo in a press release at the end of the event.
Candles on the cake also for the Via Francigena, which in 2024 celebrates its thirtieth anniversary as ‘Cultural Route of the Council of Europe’, obtained in 1994. An anniversary that will be celebrated all year round, with an unmissable programme of events aimed at hiking lovers and the rich panorama of organisations, associations, operators and institutions gravitating around the Via Francigena.
From Via Francigena “veterans” to curious people looking for information to organise their first adventure: there were many visitors at the EAVF stand, shared on this occasion with our partner sloWays.
Many were the activities during the three days of the fair, organised in collaboration with EAVF’s partners CAMCO, Ferrino, Garmont, sloWays, AllTrails, Coop, Flixbus and Trenitalia, which involved hundreds of participants. The luckiest ones – their names will be revealed on EAVF’s social media channels on 5 April! – will receive free hiking equipment by Ferrino, Garmont and CAMCO, or a voucher to the value of 100 euro on a sloWays trip.
And finally… maps, pins, brochures, postcards, and lots of questions about the Via Francigena, but not only: an important novelty at the stand was the calendar of free group hikes, starting in April with the walks of the Francigena Fidenza Festival and from May to October with the 2024 edition of “Coop Outdoor – I love Francigena“.
Il cammino della Via Francigena prosegue in discesa e il suo futuro passa anche da “Fa’ la cosa giusta!” 2024: durante la conferenza stampa di apertura dell’evento è stato presentato il protocollo di intesa tra AEVF e il Ministero del Turismo alla presenza della Ministra Daniela Santanchè e dell’Assessora al Turismo e Ambiente di Regione Lazio Elena Palazzo. Il Protocollo si affianca all’accordo operativo tra Ministero del Turismo e regioni che prevede lo stanziamento di un milione e 690mila euro per avviare tutti gli interventi necessari alla promozione del cammino. Ne abbiamo parlato qua:
During the opening press conference of the event, a protocol of understanding between EAVF and the Italian Ministry of Tourism was signed in the presence of Minister Daniela Santanchè and Lazio Region Councillor for Tourism and Environment Elena Palazzo. The protocol complements the operational agreement between the Ministry of Tourism and the regions, which provides for the allocation of 1.69 million euros to initiate all the actions necessary to promote the itinerary. We also talked about it here:
Also this year, the participation of the Via Francigena in “Fa’ la cosa giusta!” marked the official start of the walking season! Stay tuned to the EAVF communication channels for all the news and upcoming events!
The Italian Ministry of Tourism, Regions and EAVF are working together to promote the Via Francigena in 2024 and 2025, with a special focus on next year’s Jubilee.
On Friday 22 March 2024 in Milan, on the occasion of the “Fa’ la cosa giusta!” trade fair, the operative agreement with the Italian Ministry of Tourism for the implementation of a Communication Plan within the intervention called “Via Francigena – Transversal Actions” was signed in the presence of the Minister Daniela Santanchè and the Councillor for Tourism and Environment of the Lazio Region, Elena Palazzo. The allocation of 1.69 million euros is foreseen to start all the necessary actions for the promotion of the itinerary, which will see the Lazio Region in the role of leader.
The agreement was also signed by the other regions involved (Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Tuscany, Campania, and Puglia) with the Ministry’s General Directorate for Tourism Enhancement and Promotion.
At the centre of the activities is the promotional work, ranging from the launch of advertising campaigns aimed at various countries around the world to the setting up of dedicated stands at the most important international trade fairs. The improvement of the www.viefrancigena.org website where people can plan and organise their trip is also planned, as well as an update of the Via Francigena App. Press tours will also be organised for journalists, bloggers, and influencers who will be able to show the Via Francigena from their point of view.
The project is carried out in close cooperation with the European Association of the Via Francigena.
It is a project that connects, from north to south, 2,000 km throughout the whole of Italy: a fine example of cooperation between institutions committed together to supporting the Via Francigena itinerary in its infrastructural and international dimension.
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Pilgrims are advised that a section of the Via Francigena in Southern Latium in the Terracina municipality is interrupted due to works. These works concern the water conduit that passes under a path trodden by the Via Francigena, in the hamlet of La Fiora, and are being carried out on behalf of the Acqualatina company.
The Gruppo dei Dodici association has provided the maps below with directions to help pilgrims bypass this temporary interruption. You can also download the GPX track of this deviation by clicking here.
Please note that along Leg 45 from La Storta to Piazza San Pietro (Rome) access to the Monte Mario Park is forbidden both from the gate located on Via De Amicis and from the gate located on Via del Parco Mellini due to the removal of recently fallen trunks and the monitoring of other trunks.
👉🏻 Click here to view the GPX track of the alternative route
It is therefore advisable to walk along the entire stretch of the Insugherata park, then Via A. Conti and Via Gualandi (about 800 metres), and once you reach the junction with Via Trionfale, cross over and, on the left of the Complex of Santa Maria della Pietà, take the cycle path called Parco Lineare Monte Mario-Monte Ciocci. It is about 5 km in complete safety. When you reach the Monte Ciocci viewpoint go to the right, where you can walk downhill along some hairpin bends that lead to Via Anastasio II. Turning left, you then continue for about 100 metres until you reach the traffic lights at the junction with Viale degli Ammiragli. You then turn left, walk along Via Candia, turn right onto Via Leone IV and follow the Vatican walls to the left. You then reach Piazza Risorgimento and are in sight of St. Peter’s Square.
👉🏻 Click here to view the GPX track of the alternative route
Pilgrims are urged to be very careful in the Apennine section of the Via Francigena near Berceto (Parma, Emilia-Romagna), where there has been very heavy rain in recent days, leading to landslides and rising water levels.
Banca Generali Private works with the EAVF to promote awareness about the environment and territorial development, through slow and sustainable tourism. Together we organise events and hikes in the ‘Mauri Area’ of Banca Generali Private: Southern Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. Dr. Alessandro Mauri, Area Manager in these territories, which are also interested by the Via Francigena, told us all about it in this interview.
When, but above all why was the cooperation between Banca Generali Private and the EAVF established?
A.M.: The cooperation between my managing area of Banca Generali Private (Southern Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany) and the EAVF was established in 2017 because it is important to us to walk alongside the many pilgrims of the Via Francigena, a cultural route that allows you to discover little known areas of our wonderful country and to promote awareness-raising actions on environmental sustainability, a theme which is very dear to our bank. Banca Generali also offers a set of investments that are consistent with the sustainable development goals of the UN Agenda 2030, which allows customers to build their portfolio by prioritizing some of the seventeen sustainable development goals.
What are the initiatives planned for 2022 to support the Via?
A.M: In 2022 we are going to support the Via Francigena through a series of initiatives organized by the EAVF. Concretely, we are going to support the walks of the “I Love Francigena” events, which was very successful in the past editions. These free walk events bring together tourists, pilgrims, enthusiasts, local associations and operators in order to jointly promote the areas crossed by the event.
What are the long-term goals of this cooperation?
A.M: We believe it is essential to raise people’s awareness of the environment and of the territory, which is something that the Via Francigena has been doing for ages. Our bank can provide economic and cultural support, helping to develop greater attention to these themes as heritage for future generations. I too have two children and I do hope I can do something concrete to leave them a better world.
What are the challenges of slow tourism and how do they intertwine with economy?
A.M: The real challenge is to convince people to practice tourism in a more sustainable and conscious way, for example by walking or cycling along the Via Francigena. This will help local communities to have immediate benefits – including economic ones – since not only tourists contribute to local economy but also, they produce an induced effect because pilgrims can – once they have ended their journey – come back again to those places as tourists.
The Via Francigena creates strong connections, and what’s become clear to us after our Road to Rome adventure last summer is that many people who came to walk with us continue to feel this strong need to connect. A need to continue their journey, even if only online. They want to keep the spirit of the cammino alive, they want to continue to share their stories, their memories, their experience with those who walked alongside them or with those who just started to plan their own journey.
And this is when we realized: we need an official Via Francigena community! A place for people to come together virtually, to share all things Via Francigena, to create new connections and plan new trips.
We are therefore very happy to invite you to join the official Via Francigena – Road to Rome Facebook Group! Besides being a place to connect with fellow Via Francigena enthousiasts, our Facebook group will also offer exclusive content that you won’t be able to find anywhere else on our channels:
Our Facebook Group will be an international one, where everyone who shares our love for the Via is welcome to write and communicate in their own language. It will also be a group based on mutual respect: by following the simple group guidelines and by treating others in the same way you would like to be treated, we are convinced that our community will be a great place to hang out.
So… what are you waiting for? Join our Via Francigena – Road to Rome community now by clicking on this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/655350489151864
