2024: A SPECIAL YEAR FOR THE VIA FRANCIGENA, WITH MEETINGS, EVENTS, CONFERENCES, WALKS, AND MANY MOMENTS OF INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE, RETRACING THE THIRTY YEARS SINCE ITS CERTIFICATION AS A CULTURAL ROUTE OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE.

The Cultural Routes Program was launched by the Council of Europe in 1987 with the aim of demonstrating, through a journey through space and time, how the cultural heritage and culture of different European countries contribute to creating a shared cultural heritage. The dossier was presented by the then Department of Tourism of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Italian Ministry of Tourism, in agreement with the coordination committee led by the Emilia-Romagna region. The final decision by the Council of Europe was made in April 1994.

The program of celebrations – officially started last March in London with an event dedicated to Sigeric’s Diary – is dense and rich with initiatives involving the entire European route, from England to Puglia!

To celebrate this splendid anniversary, the European Association of the Via Francigena has also created a new section on the website www.viefrancigene.org.

This is a space to tell the story of the Via Francigena of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, which includes a timeline retracing the last thirty years of the Via Francigena’s history, an events calendar, and a collection of thoughts, testimonies, and reflections on the Via Francigena.

Finally, the creation of this new space is accompanied by the launch of the initiative “For me the Via Francigena is…”, aimed at collecting the individual testimonies of all Via Francigena enthusiasts through short videos. Click here to find out how to send us yours!