Via Francigena

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EAVF teams up with UK publishing house Cicerone to launch new Via Francigena guides

An exciting new collaboration between EAVF and publisher Cicerone Press has led to the upcoming launch of 3 new Via Francigena guidebook volumes, the first of its kind to cover the entire stretch from Canterbury to Rome. 

Cicerone is a publishing house located in the UK known for its many walking guides along pilgrim routes and other itineraries across the entire globe. The new guide for the Via Francigena has been divided into 3 different volumes:

  • Part 1 from Canterbury to Lausanne
  • Part 2 from Lausanne to Lucca
  • Part 3 from Lucca to Rome.

    All 3 guides are written in the English language.

These comprehensive travel guides represent the perfect opportunity for tourists and pilgrims alike to venture outside again and discover the Via Francigena in all its natural and cultural glory. Moreover, with these guidebooks we aim to support the relaunch of sustainable tourism throughout Europe after the covid pandemic.

BOOK LAUNCH

Join our panel of expert guests this Thursday 15 April at 18:00 to celebrate the launch of Part 2 and Part 3 of the new guidebooks. During the LIVE broadcast Sandy Brown, Luca Bruschi, and Myra Stals will be sharing their travel experiences along the Via Francigena.

Sandy Brown is an ordained minister, community activist and long-distance walker from Seattle, Washington. He is the author of the new guidebooks to the Via Francigena, as well as guidebooks to the Camino Frances and the Way of St Francis. Currently walking the California Mission Trail, Sandy has walked over 10,000km on pilgrim paths in Europe and the US since 2008.

Joining us from the EAVF headquarters in Fidenza (Italy), Luca Bruschi is the executive director of the European Association of Vie Francigene. A fervent hiker himself, he has walked thousands of kilometres along various European pilgrimage routes over the past few years. Luca will introduce the route as well as the important work of the association.

Myra Stals is passionate about cycling and fighting plastic pollution and has recently joined the EAVF team. In 2020 she cycled the Via Francigena in Italy, collecting litter along the entire route. She will talk about this trip as well as introducing the EAVF’s Road to Rome project for 2021.

You can watch the event live online on Thursday 15 April at 18:00 on the Cicerone website, Cicerone Press Facebook page or YouTube channel. Send your questions for our panel of expert guests to live@cicerone.co.uk in advance or during the live event.

GET YOUR COPY NOW

Purchase Part 2 from Lausanne to Lucca here: https://www.cicerone.co.uk/walking-the-via-francigena-pilgrim-route-part-2

Purchase Part 3 from Lucca to Rome here: https://www.cicerone.co.uk/walking-the-via-francigena-pilgrim-route-part-3

Part 1 from Canterbury to Lausanne will be released in 2023.

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Happy 20th birthday, EAVF! A beautiful story!

On the 7th of April 2001, the association of municipalities along the Via Francigena was founded in Fidenza, initially only with Italian municipalities.

It then became, in 2005, the European Association of the Via Francigena ways. Today, we celebrate a prestigious achievement: twenty years of activity of this bottom-up association, based on voluntary participation, that brings together municipalities and regions, local associations and enthusiasts, cultural operators and various economic realms, as well as academics. Here we share our conversation with the EAVF President Massimo Tedeschi, who had the early-on intuition and long-term mindset to create an environment for this international network, which is now active and in great turmoil in all territories crossed by the route and in its surrounding areas.

1) Let’s start with the history. In 2001, you were Mayor of Fidenza. What are the reasons that pushed you, that year, on the 7th of April, to found a network of municipalities, initially in the Italian section, along the Via Francigena? Looking back at it today, was it a good decision?

A. The reason was rooted, then and today, in what I would call European pride: the pleasure of being part of a European community which, after long historic developments, represents the world’s best example of respect for human values (political democracy, civil rights, human rights, intercultural dialogue, tolerance). These values were then transferred, on the 5th of May 1949, into the Statute of the Council of Europe in London (capital, not by chance, of a country where the liberal mindset thrives). The United Kingdom left the European Union but not the Council of Europe, similarly to Switzerland, which continues to be part of it since 1963.

Back to the 7th of April 2001: I remember that when I was elected Mayor, in 1991, a few enthusiasts (very few!) in my hometown Fidenza and its province started telling me about the Via Francigena, a totally unknown subject to people at that time. Nevertheless, when the Via Francigena obtained the certification “Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” in 1994, and in anticipation of the Great Jubilee in 2000, the number of the Via Francigena pioneers increased. I was then lucky to meet the French Middle Ages historian Jacques Le Goff (1924-2014). I first met him when he visited the Cathedral of Fidenza on the 21st of May 1998, then I met him again on the 21st of October 2000 in a crowded municipal theater, to award him with the honorary citizenship of the city – one of the most remarkable moments of my mandate. Six months later, on the 7th of April 2001, with representatives of 34 Italian local public authorities (who were the first, out of 150 entities, that accepted my invitation), the association was founded. Twenty years later, I am increasingly convinced that it was an excellent idea.

2) What are the key achievements obtained by the EAVF, and what are the most important moments it has seen in these 20 years of work? Today, the EAVF’s network is composed of 193 municipalities, 70 associations, and more than 400 private stakeholders.

A. The key achievement reached in these 20 years of activity is the double-faced benefit, both cultural and economic, that the Via Francigena has produced on small communities along the 2000 km route and its surroundings: thousands of people, from all over the world, have walked along the path and through these areas. The kilometers have become 3200 in 2019, when the “Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” certification was extended to the South of Italy, from Rome to Santa Maria di Leuca. When I speak about economic benefit, I think of the impact of tens of millions of euros, given the average duration and daily expenditure per person on the route, exactly on those territories that are virtually excluded from main tourism circuits.

When I speak about cultural benefit, I think of the exchange and intangible enrichment between newly met people: people who walk and people who live along the route. They learn and speak different languages, gain confidence with each other, admire various architectural styles, taste simple but delicious foods, exchange phone numbers, and create occasions to meet again.

Four years after the foundation, in 2005, the first non-Italian municipality joined the association: the prestigious city of Canterbury, whose leader was, at the time, Harry Craig. Following, the inter-municipal district of Bas Valais joined in 2010 as a first Swiss entity, thanks to the urge of abbot Joseph Roduit (1939-2015) of Saint-Maurice. In 2016, the first French municipality joined: Bucey-les-Gy (with only 600 inhabitants, in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté), thanks to the long-term thinking of Mayor Emile Ney, who still collaborates with us. I would like to point out the importance of membership in the network not only of the 193 local entities and 70 friend associations, but also of 400 small enterprises that provide hospitality and restoration services to pilgrims. This network is continuously expanding.

 

3) The ongoing pandemic certainly had strong impacts also on the tourist sector and on the accessibility of heritage sites. However, the Via Francigena and pilgrimage walks and outdoor activities in general are sectors that will grow in the coming years, exactly because of their rural character, their connection with nature and with sustainable development. Can this segment, connected to Cultural itineraries and pilgrimage routes, really continue to grow?

A. The pandemic brutally made us realize the enormous importance of tourism as a form of exchange and consciousness and therefore as a way of protecting heritage and developing culture and economy. The Via Francigena and the entire Cultural Routes family can greatly contribute to the post-pandemic re-launch, as they allow to safely experience nature and society, two of the elements that people are missing the most today.

4) The Camino de Santiago has been recognized Cultural Route by the Council of Europe in 1987, 7 years before the Via Francigena. Even in numerical terms, the difference between the two routes is evident. What is the Via Francigena missing to gain greater international popularity and consolidate its identity?

A. The number of walkers on the Camino de Santiago has five zeros, whereas the one on the Via Francigena has four zeros. The main difference is that the Government and the Church in Spain aimed to the development of the Camino without dissipating investments on minor distracting objectives. This way, they managed to create a ‘narrative’ that built worldwide positive reputation, using cinema and literature as divulgation channels.

A similar investment, both cultural and financial, has not been devolved to the Via Francigena (road to Rome), neither in Italy nor in other countries crossed. This is partly comprehensible. In Rome, for example, millions of pilgrims always arrived from all over the world, thus it was not easy for civil and religious authorities of the country and of the city to identify and select the few thousand pilgrims that came walking from the Via Francigena.

Nevertheless, I think that, after the pandemic is surpassed, this argument will be tackled: we must understand how to give strength to the arterial system of the “vie romee” (roads to Rome), so that, in turn, it can spread blood along the entire venous system of walking routes, without any waste. We must also find a way to reserve a ‘special’ welcome to those who arrive to Rome after walking hundreds of kilometers.

 

5) After 20 years, EAVF decided to celebrate its anniversary with a long walking-event from Canterbury to Santa Maria di Leuca, involving all the 657 municipalities crossed. It sounds like a great challenge, almost an anticipation of the Jubilee! How is the organization of such a large cultural initiative progressing?

A. On the 30th of March 2021 the EAVF General Assembly decided to confirm the great march “Via Francigena. Road to Rome 2021. Start again!”. Its organization is keeping us very busy but is experiencing an incredible level of enthusiasm and collaboration of internal and external parties. You are right: this march is our Jubilee. We will leave Canterbury on the 16th of June (where sanitary restrictions will only allow a symbolic ceremony developed by our English friends); on the 17th of June we will leave from Calais (France), on the 23rd of July we will be in Orbe (Switzerland) and on the 1st of August we will enter Italy from the Great St Bernard Pass. On the 10th of September we will arrive in Rome and on the 18th of October in Santa Maria di Leuca, our Finisterrae.

This march is not only a simple initiative, although quite challenging, is a deep and complex occurrence because it puts all of us on the front line, physically walking. When we arrive in Santa Maria di Leuca on the 18th of October, 4 months later, we will have changed. We will have put in practice the principles and values of the Via Francigena, which I mentioned earlier: meeting new people, learning languages and stories we did not know; exchanging ideas and experiences; hiking and biking, and many more. We will be different people when we arrive, and I am certain we will have changed for the better.

 

Interviewed by Luca Bruschi, EAVF Director

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England: Via Francigena Art Trail project

The European Association of the Via Francigena ways is delighted to announce the launch of the Via Francigena Arts Trail project, which allows creation of three public art commissions along the English stretch of the route.

Ambitious in quality, and speaking to pilgrimage and local heritage with contemporary relevance, the artworks will provide an opportunity for rest and contemplation, as well as highlight the natural landscape and inspiring views. At least one installation is to be located within the Canterbury District and one within Dover District.

The Project is funded by the Interreg Europe Green Pilgrimage Project and managed by the Dover Arts Development. The Via Francigena Arts Trail will form part of a longer Arts Trail created by The EXPERIENCE Project, delivered by the Kent Downs AONB Unit.

Peter Morris, the North Downs Way (NDW) National Trail manager, will contribute to this project. He says ‘[…] The Via Francigena Arts Trail project has a rural focus. It will be really interesting to see how artists interpret the landscape and pilgrim heritage of this section of the route. We can’t wait for these pieces to be installed, providing people with more and new reasons to visit the trail’.

The Via Francigena Art Trail will contribute to the creation and promotion of off-season experiential tourism products and sustainable rural tourism.

More information here https://www.dadonline.uk/projects/via-francigena-arts-trail/ and https://www.dadonline.uk/updates/call-out-via-francigena-arts-trail-commission/

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Road to Rome 2021: Pilgrim Stick has arrived!

The pilgrim stick – our Olympic torch – which will be passed from pilgrim to pilgrim during the relay march “Via Francigena. Road to Rome 2021” has arrived!The event celebrates both the EAVF foundation, which took place on 7 April 2001 in Fidenza (Parma, Italy), and the 27th anniversary of the recognition of the Via Francigena as a “Cultural Route of the Council of Europe“, granted in 1994.

The Road to Rome is a great moment of celebration, a long relay march on foot and by bicycle along 3,200 km of the Via Francigena. The walkers will carry a pilgrim stick as an Olympic torch passing it to the next group, step by step, along the entire journey.

Hazel stick sourced 3 years ago by Michael Walsh near Holycross Abbey in Tipperary, Ireland will be used in this initiative. It has been seasoned, cleaned and prepared with over 10 coats of boiled linseed oil to get it ready for its journey.

The artwork was completed by a local artist Julie Helen Sharp and the cord grip was made by a stick maker Declan O Shea.

The stick was blessed by the Parish Priest of Holycross, Fr Celsus Tierney on 26 Feb 2021, praying for all those who will take part in this long walk.

Special thanks to the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome, who suggested us to obtain the walking stick and drove the whole process. 

More information about the Road to Rome 2021 here

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170 Graduate Students in Erasmus in Europe thanks to the Via Francigena

The opportunity is reserved to new graduated students who have obtained a high school diploma in a school along the Via Francigena: 21 students have already departed, and 49 more are getting ready to leave.

This was possible thanks to the project “FORREsT: new skills FOR expeRiEntial Tourism”, of which EAVF is a leading partner, and which falls under the wider project Erasmus+.

The project aims at reacting to new international tourism trends (experiential and sustainable tourism), and at promoting the economic and productive development of areas affected by the crossing of the Via Francigena. The overarching target is the valorization of small local communities, which have a common pattern in their European cultural identity: the Via Francigena. The 21 students who are already travelling are spread across France and Spain, and some of them have already finished their experience and returned home.

The students have the possibility to undertake an educational / working internship in European organizations within the abovementioned working sectors. This is possible by obtaining a scholarship that includes:

  • language preparations and proficiency through the European platform OLS

  • roundtrip airplane tickets to the internship destination

  • insurance coverage for the entire stay period

  • accommodation; professional, organizational and logistic tutoring and monitoring

  • proof of attendance and certification

One year later, the project F.O.R.R.Es.T. 2.0 – FOsteR an euRopEan identity through the Trainees mobility” also started and is now ongoing. If the first edition was offered to graduates in high schools along the Via Francigena between Aosta and Rome, the “FORREsT 2.0” project speaks to 100 young graduates along the entire Italian route of the Via Francigena, from Valle d’Aosta to Puglia, once again offering working experiences in Spain, England and France.

More information:

Here are some of their reflections at the end of the experience:

“This activity certainly had a positive impact on my interpersonal relations, helping me develop an increased objective perception of the working environment”.

Francesco Caraccia – France

“This experience can give each of us the possibility to discover and improve many aspects of ourselves. We have been stimulated in countless ways: from the private to the working realm of experience. I can only speak positively of this project, and I am satisfied of what I learned about tourism, a sector I had no experience with”.

Gaia Colalucci – Spain

“It was a very educational experience; I discovered a new country, a new culture and made many friends. I also had the opportunity to walk into the working world as a translator, which is what I am now studying at the University. I would recommend anyone not to doubt about leaving, possibly for unknown destinations, to learn about new cultures and allow the mind to open as much as possible”.

Giulia Galli – Spain

“I leave with a heavier baggage, full of experiences and with an awareness I did not have before. I discovered that I am ready to work and to manage the marketing of a company. I really liked the experience; I am sure it opened my eyes on a working field I ignored beforehand. Now it is my duty to remain curious and eager to learn more and more!”

Sara Marconcini – Spain

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The “Walk of light” of Francisco Sancho arrives in Champlitte on the Via Francigena

Francisco Sancho, originally Spanish, then resident in Vicenza, transformed his pilgrimage in a full expression of Christian life. He has been walking for many years along all the key European pilgrim routes. We have met him in Champlitte on the 10th of March.

Luca Bruschi, director of the European Association of the Via Francigena ways, with Jacques Chevin, responsible for the development of the Swiss and French sections of the Via Francigena, met the pilgrim in Champlitte, starting point of the 40th stage of the Via. The city, since 2016, hosts the French EAVF headquarters. This morning, the city mayor Patrice Colinet gave his greeting and welcomed the traveler in town.

Francisco, with his pluriannual walk, is bringing forward his project “Walk of Light”: a trip in which, at each stage, he spares a moment of prayer and lights a candle, to leave, by the end of the journey, a “trail of light” and serenity.

His journeys:

2014: together with backpack, walking stick and faith, he left from the doorstep of the Basilica dei Santi Pietro e Paolo in Rome to start an itinerary that brought him to the tomb of Saint James in Compostela.The way back brought him to Le Puy en Velay, to surpass the Alps in the Val di Susa, and cross the north and center of Italy to reach Assisi and then return to Rome along the footsteps of San Francesco.

2015/2016: he leaves towards Santiago de Compostela and, passing by Brussels, he pushes himself up to Norway, where he visits the tomb of Sant’Olaf a Trondheim. He goes back to Rome passing through Cracow in occasion of the World Youth Day in 2016.

2019/ today: the 6th of July 2019 he starts a spiritual journey to Santa Maria di Leuca with the aim of connecting all the major faith destinations in Europe, the same ones that pilgrims and wayfarers walked since the Middle Ages. He expects to return to Santa Maria di Leuca for Easter 2021.

This is how Francisco shares his story:

I already walked, during my 25 years of pilgrimage, most of these routes. I collected unforgettable experiences, met extraordinary people, who became my best friends. I collected witnesses, images, stories and episodes, but I also learned about pain, unbearable difficulties, I looked into the most hidden and dark faces of my soul, I met the uncertainty of living…with no doubt, the man who left is not the same one that returns.

In every place I crossed, I lit a lumen, recited a prayer and attempted to bring serenity, so that, when I will look back at the end of my journey, I will see a trail of light, a “Walk of Light”.

When I return, I wish to tell the story of my journey, physical and spiritual, through a series of photography exhibitions, across various Italian cities. My dream is to share with everyone my life experience and possibly get people closer to the idea of walking, meant as a spiritual and cathartic experience… Only God knows how much, today, it is necessary to slow down, at a walking pace, have the opportunity to meditate and observe the beauty of the world that surrounds us”.

It is possible to support Francisco Sancho’s journey here. The fundraiser will allow him to:

– Complete the Walk of Light, contributing to the little resources he needs to sustain himself: some food and a bed for the night;

– Organize events “Walk of Light” around Italy. “Walk of Light” is a photography exhibition that tells the story of his pilgrimage in Europe;

– Create and moderate a Facebook community, where anyone – pilgrims, wayfarers, passionate followers and interested people can share experience, suggestions, and support each other’s journeys.

“Thanks to the help of dear friends, I was able to confirm my first photography exhibition in Monte Sant’Angelo (FG), a loved city, from the 18th of June to the 11th of July 2021”.

Website: boanerges.es

Instagram: @franciscosanchopellegrino

Facebook Profile: Francisco Sancho Boanerges

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Calais: a rose breed dedicated to the Via Francigena

A “Via Francigena” rose was created in the city of Calais supported by the Association for the Enhancement of the Architectural Heritage of Calais (AMVPAC). The rose is the subject of a subscription, which sales will be used to renovate and enhance the Calais Notre-Dame church and the surrounding gardens.

Calais, the first outpost of the Via Francigena in France, has been the EAVF member since 2018. The municipality has been active in the work of the association, contributing to the development of the route in France and beyond.

In the Calais area the Via Francigena winds along a beautiful path that joins the North Sea and immerses itself in nature, passing through Sangatte and other picturesque villages. The fine sand, with its different colours changing with the seasons, becomes the leitmotif of this exciting “maritime” stage.

The rose Via Francigena was created in 2018 by rose breeders Dominique Massad and Peter Beales. It comes from a family of a wild rose “rosa persica” discovered in 1784 during a long journey of the botanist and explorer André Michaux, in the Zagros mountains, between Iran and Iraq.

A rose in yellow tones, an age-old colour for warm feelings of friendship of optimism and wisdom, and in white tones to express purity and respect, created to pay homage to new beginnings and to express hope for the to come up. A rose that would become an attribute of all those who undertake a journey whether they are pilgrims, hikers or tourists.

The rose will be available for sale in June 2021. The prices vary between 28€ and 30€.

You can buy them (or order them) directly from Opal’fleurs (Place d’Armes), the shop has a small stock of rose stems and will be able to advise you on the maintenance of your plant.

You can also fill out an order form and send it directly to AMVPAC’s head office.

For more information (photos, prices, descriptions…) you will find the PDF link below.

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District 108L Lions Club International promotes the Via Francigena

District 108L Lions Club International is at the front line when it come to promoting peace, and the Via Francigena as Cultural Route of the Council of Europe represents the values of peace, respect, dialogue, democracy, and inclusion.

In District 108L (Umbria, Lazio, and Sardinia) the Via Francigena officially crosses through territories located within the region of Lazio and, in this regard, the district lions officer Sara Fresi has created a historical document entitled “Territories of Lazio crossed by the Via Francigena”. This document is a useful contribution for all those who wish to travel the Via Francigena and discover its picturesque landscapes and historical, cultural, monumental beauties. Following is the incipit of the document:

Territories of Lazio crossed by the Via Francigena, by Sara Fresi

In the 7th century the Longobards penetrated the Italian territory, occupying part of the peninsula at that time disputed with the Byzantines. They wanted to connect the Kingdom of Pavia with the southern duchies by means of a safe road across the Apennines, passing through the Cisa Pass: its name in ancient times was Mons Langobardorum, later called Via di Monte Bardone. It was basically a group of roads connected by consular and dirt roads. When the Franks took over in the Carolingian era, the Via di Monte Bardone changed its name to Via Francigena, or “road originating from France”.

Traffic along this route increased and, over the centuries, the road established itself as the main route linking northern and southern Europe, used by masses of pilgrims as well as merchants and armies. It also connected the three ‘Peregrinationes Maiores‘: Santiago de Compostela, the tomb of the Apostle Peter and the Holy Land. The European Network of the Vie Francigene is a legacy linking the present day to the cultural identities of the old continent.

A millenary route that crosses several European countries: England, France, Switzerland, and Italy. The Via Francigena in Italy crosses six regions: Valle d’Aosta, Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Lazio. The southern section of the Via Francigena, called the Via Francigena of the South, is a route of approximately 900 km that crosses five regions: Lazio, Campania, Basilicata, Molise, and Puglia. The stretch through the Lazio region is approximately 420 km long.

The whole document (in Italian) can be consulted by clicking here.

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The municipality of Saint Maurice (CH) becomes an EAVF member!

Saint Maurice, a small municipality in the Canton of Valais with great strategic importance, is located along the Swiss stretch of the Via Francigena, exactly halfway along the route followed by archbishop Sigeric on his journey to Rome. The European Association of Via Francigena Ways is incredibly happy to enrich its network with such an important institutional member, therefore we warmly welcome Saint Maurice and its representatives!

Saint Maurice is situated along the 51st stage of Sigeric’s itinerary and in Roman times was called Agaunum. It was located at a bottleneck formed by the Rhone river, thus taking on a role of great strategic importance. The famous Theban legion was stationed here, led by Maurice and exterminated at this location in the 3rd century for refusing to swear an oath to the gods before the battle because they had converted to Christianity. The martyrdom of St. Maurice and the legion turned ancient Agaunum into an important pilgrimage site along the Via Francigena.

The Abbey of Saint Maurice was founded on the tomb of the martyrs in 515 by Sigismund, son of the Burgundian king. From that moment the Abbey played an important role, becoming the centre of veneration of the martyrs and the main abbey in the Burgundian kingdom, as well as a pilgrimage destination. The Abbey of Saint Maurice thus became the oldest Christian monastery in the West and has been operative uninterruptedly since its foundation. Bearing witness to this past are the commemoration of Saint Maurice every 22 September and the Laus perennis, the perpetual prayer of the canons at the tomb of the martyrs, a custom that has continued for 1500 years.

Even today, Saint Maurice is the seat of ecclesiastical institutions and is known for its basilica and its church treasure, which contains rare masterpieces of sacred goldsmith’s art. Wars, fires, and falling rocks have repeatedly destroyed the funerary oratories, churches, and monastic buildings built in the 4th century at the foot of the cliff overlooking the site. The church was destroyed in 574 during a Lombard raid, but was rebuilt and enlarged based on the same floor plan under St. Gontrand (561-592). Numerous reconstruction phases and extensions followed.

The Trésor de l’Abbaye, one of the richest in Europe, consists mainly of reliquaries, including for example “St Martin’s Vase” and Theuderic’s casket both dating back to the 7th century A.D., as well as Charlemagne’s aquamanile from the 9th century and the so-called “bag of Saints Innocent and Candide” from the 12th century.

This small jewel of nature, art, and history has been a valuable part of the Via Francigena over the past centuries and now hand-in-hand with EAVF will continue to amaze pilgrims and visitors alike in the decades to come!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

The Castle of Saint Maurice

– Technical information about Via Francigena Switzerland stage 07 Aigle – Saint Maurice

– Technical information about Via Francigena Switzerland stage 08 Saint Maurice – Martigny

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EAVF participates in the rurAllure kick off meeting

On 11 – 13 January 2021 the European Association of the Via Francigena ways EAVF participated in the kick off meeting of the European project “rurAllure: Promotion of rural museums and heritage sites in the vicinity of European pilgrimage routes”.

This project aims to foster cultural cooperation and tourism along the historic pilgrimage routes. It leverages the state-of-the-art in information technologies in order to promote rural museums and heritage sites in the vicinity of major European pilgrimage routes. The goal is to foster symbiosis between the rural environment and the pilgrimage routes to enrich the cultural experience of the pilgrimage by the vast cultural heritage of rural areas that most often goes unnoticed.

The kick off meeting which was conducted digitally brought together project partners and associates under the leadership of the University of Vigo. The 16 cutting-edge European organisations and research institutions, including the EAVF, participate in this ambitious project, working on common strategies and developing the project’s pilots: literary heritage along the Saint James’ Ways, thermal heritage on the road to Rome, ethnological heritage on the Saint Olav’s ways and the naturalistic heritage on the way of Mary.