The Scientific Committee of the European Association of the Via Francigena (EAVF) has the overarching goal to promote a network of knowledge and cooperation in research and teaching and encourage economic, scientific, and cultural projects in Heritage, Cultural Tourism, Landscape and Cultural Itineraries, with specific focus on the Via Francigena.

The Scientific Committee of the EAVF was officially formed during the 3rd Forum of the Via Francigena (Monteriggioni, January 29, 2016) and  under the auspices of EAVF. It  is an outcome of the “PER VIAM – Pilgrims’ Routes in Action” project andof the resulting European Universities Network of Knowledge (EUNeK)with  the sponsorship of Centre or Advanced Studies in Tourism (CAST) of Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna (UNIBO) and Almatourism, journal of Tourism, Culture and Development of UNIBO.

On the occasion of the first meeting in Monteriggioni, all the members gathered jointly to other local actors (both researchers and institutional bodies) with the aim to start an effective cooperation focused on the promotion of the European Association of the Via Francigena.

The EAVF Scientific Committee thus intends to enhance territorial development along the VF, in cooperation with the EAVF and its Members.

The EAVF Scientific Committee consists of 15 members (universities, institutions, public actor, experts)

– Center for Advanced Studies in Tourism (CAST) of  Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna (Italy). President of the Committee  and responsible Fiorella Dallari (fiorella.dallari@unibo.it ) associate professor of political and economic geography (expert of cultural itineraries, pilgrimages and religious tourism),  as and responsible for European Universities Network of Knowledge (EUNeK), an inclusive network currently consisting fourteen universities and associations.

– Filippo Pistocchi, Adjunct Professor of Political and Economic Geography (expert of tourism and  policies for the territorial development) in School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Translation and Interpreting (University of Bologna).

– Carlo Mambriani, Professor of History of Architecture at the University of Parma, Department of Engineering and Architecture.

– Fondazione Campus Studi del Mediterraneo (Italy). Responsible Enrica Lemmi (enrica.lemmi@fondazionecampus.it), researcher and expert of international development with a special focus on Francigena and cultural itineraries.

– Institut de Recherche et d’Études Supérieures du Tourisme, Universitè Paris1, Panthéon-Sorbonne (IREST, France). Responsible Maria Gravari-Barbas, director of IREST and of network UNESCO/UNITWIN “Culture, Tourism, Development”.

– New Media in Education Laboratory, Università della Svizzera Italiana (NewMinE Lab, Switzerland). Responsible Lorenzo Cantoni, director of the Institute for Communication Technologies and scientific and of the laboratories webatelier.net and chair-holder of the UNESCO chair in ICT to develop and promote sustainable tourism in World Heritage Sites.

– Instituto Universitario de Estudos e Desenvolvemento de Galicia (IDEGA), Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (Spain). Responsibles Rubén Camilo Lois González, full professor of social and cultural geography, and expert in regional geography, rural development and pilgrimages, and Xosé Manuel Santos Solla, full professor of human geography expert in international tourism, urban tourism and pilgrimages.

– Società Geografica Italiana (S.G.I., Italy). Responsables Margherita Azzari and Sergio Conti, members of  SGI, experts in economic and political geography, cultural itineraries and cartografic tools.

– Department of Management of Farming Systems, Food and Forestry (GESAAF),  University of Florence (Italy). Responsable Gianluca Bambi, researcher and expert of landscape and rural development with a special focus on Francigena and VRGE.

– The Department of Bioscience and Territory, University of Molise (Italy).  Responsible of Monica Meini, associate professor of geography and expert of tourism, cultural itineraries, geography of mobility, territorial heritage  and international projects. 

– Cultural Centre on Landscape and People of Cambridge (CCLP, Great Britain). Responsible Gloria Pungetti (cclp@hermes.cam.ac.uk), associate professor of Geography and expert of landscape and sustainability, Department of Natural and Territorial Sciences  (University of Sassari) and director of CCLP.

– Department of Cultural Heritage (University of Salento, Italy). Responsable Anna Trono, associate professor of political and economic geography and expert of religious tourism, cultural itineraries, rural and local development and international projects.

– School of History, Rutherford College, University of Kent (Great Britain). Responsable Barbara Bombi, reader in Medieval History. Her research interests cover ecclesiastical and religious history in the High Middle Ages (1200-1450). She also specialises in the medieval papacy and canon law. 

– Associations du Chablais (Switzerland). Christian Schülé, expert of museology and history, marketing, public relations and sponsoring.

– Azienda di Promozione Turistica – Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy). Roberta Moretti, expert in sustainable tourism, rural areas, projects and  promotion-marketing of  regional and interregional level.

The EAVF Scientific Committee must meet at least twice a year and at least once during a workshop present the annual scientific report.

After the First assignment-Meeting of the Scientific Committee of AEVF on January 29th, 2016 (Monteriggioni, Italy), the Scientific Committee will have to define the methodological and action plans starting from the activities and actions already in progress, in close collaboration with the EAVF and under the accountability of Fiorella Dallari.