Month: August 2019

Peregrinus is a construction workshop exploring minimal habitats for pilgrims on the Via Francigena. Two shelters were built in ten days by 20 students during this year’s assembly Easa Tourist 2019 in Villars-surOllon.

The habitats were conceived for the gardens and domain of the Abbaye de Salaz in Ollon. The theme Tourism served as a guideline for the conception of this workshop. The intentions being to question the minimal needs for a temporary habitat translated in an architectural form. A primitive hut finding its roots on one of the major European pilgrim route.

The Via Francigena, linking Canterbury to Rome, crosses through the territory of Switzerland over 215km. Passing through the Jura and the Alps, the path stops by the wellknown Abbaye de St-Maurice. Close by we find the Abbaye de Salaz, old rural dependence of Saint-Maurice which producted historically the goods and wine of the clergy. Today at the Abbaye de Salaz3, a family still produces wine and offers to host pilgrims on their way to Rome. The countryside surrounding the Abbaye was the perfect rural context to work with to develop the project. 

Considering this heritage, the base for the design was to question the notion of shelter in today’s highly technological world as well as in the European touristic context. The pilgrims transporting with them only the basic equipment, what space did they need to rest? The pair of shelters are both protecting from the sun and the rain and isolate the pilgrim from the outside through a thin layer of felt. The outside piercing through small textile doors like a tent, pilgrims are directly in connection with the silent surrounding of the countryside.

PEREGRINUS is invited to participate to the art festival Feÿ arts4 in Burgundy in September 2019. The two shelters will host for three days many pilgrims and take part of a wide cultural event. The project will essentially take part of the European network via francigena5 to host pilgrims by next spring 2020. 

CONTACT peregrinus.easa@gmail.com

INSTAGRAM peregrinus_easa

TEAM TUTORS Laurent Chassot, Elena Chiavi, Agathe Mignon, Thibault Smith

PARTICIPANTS Evelina Bartusevičiūtė, Luís Correia, Leda Demetriadou, Eneida Firaku, Evelyn Flores, Matteo Fontana, Julia Frendo, Lars Gustav Rogne, Ezgi Hoca, Dirk Hoogeveen, Michal Karpeta, Eglė Kliučinskaitė, Yimika Koya, Manogna Murari, Pantelis Ninis, Csongor Nyíri, Dinesh Prasad, Annachiara Squitieri, Noa Akosuka Wilhemi, Daniel Xuereb

“It was an authentic experience, I hope that one day my children will decide to travel a cultural route of the Council of Europe like the Via Francigena maybe with their friends”. Summer brought a special pilgrim along the Francigena.#

Stefano Dominioni, Executive Secretary of the Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes and Director of the European Institute of Cultural Routes spent a few days with his family in the Aosta Valley taking advantage of the holidays to walk some stops of the ancient route of Sigeric.

“I think it is appropriate to know on the ground and to experience the 38 European cultural itineraries certified by the Council of Europe (www.coe.int/routes). It is not only about walking but also about places, European territories linked by the same kind of cultural heritage, I am also thinking of the European itinerary of historic thermal cities.– explains Dominioni –On the Via Francigena I have been there several times but for conferences and conferences. I hadn’t walked it yet and it seemed important to me.”

Backpacker, Dominioni, chose Aosta as the starting stage for two days of walking to one of the landmarks of the Francigena: the fort of Bard. “Our journey started from the tourist office in Aosta where I found some kind and helpful operators. There we bought the credential and obtained information about the route and reception in the area. Step by step we arrived in Chatillon without giving up a tasty valdostana lunch at a farmhouse in Nus”.

Dozens of km between the views of the Valley and the summer sun of the mountain: “We would have liked to sleep at the Monastery of the Franciscan Cappuccini but it was all full so we decided to continue to Saint Vincent bringing home, with difficulty, 33 km of walk!”. On the second day, stop in Verrès (20km) and then get to Bard: “I had been in April at theBard fort for a meeting organized by the Valle d’Aosta Region as part of our program with the European Commission for the Alpine Macro Region (Eusalp). We slept in the rooms of the fort: a nice experience. The next day we returned to Aosta by bus.”

A short but intense experience during which, Dominioni was able to experience the Via Francigena as a pilgrim: “The signage along the ground is good. We could have walked following the directions but the use of the EAVF Smartphone App was supportive and the gps tracks guided us with greater confidence. I appreciated the food outlets and the facilities reported and contracted with the Visit Vie Francigene network – points out the director of the European Institute of Cultural Routes – it was nice to bring home as a souvenir the credential and to cover the stamps with the pilgrim of our stages. We found a great welcome; the locals are aware of the potential of this itinerary.”

A growing journey, a bridge between cultures and territories that unites Canterbury with Rome and looks at the extension of the certification of the Via Francigena of the South: “The importance of the Via Francigena lies precisely in its European dimension, because it is a path that historically unites peoples and cultures around the ideals that are that of the Council of Europe: human rights, cultural diversity, dialogue and intercultural exchanges – explains Dominioni – the extension of certification is to be read in this way. Personally, I find interesting the enhancement of the local cultural heritage and the socio-economic development of the territory where local communities with their identities network, the development of intelligent slow tourism, cultural tourism. Along the way there is an exchange of experience fundamental even for small villages, an experience of openness to Europe”

Will he return to the Via Francigena? “Certainly! Next time I’d like to delve into the Francigena in France. A few years ago I had walked part of the Santiago journey with my son. This year I had the opportunity to live a bit of Francigena together with my wife and daughter. We hope to pass on to the new generations the desire to walk and discover our extraordinary cultural heritage!“

© Copyright

Our appointment with “I love Cammini Emilia Romagna” returns in September. There are two dates dedicated to the Via Francigena to experience and get to know the route at a slow pace: 7^th September from Cassio to Berceto and the 14^th September from Pontenure to Fiorenzuola d’Arda.

The initiative is a project promoted by APT Services Emilia-Romagna Region in collaboration with the Bishops’ Conference of Emilia Romagna and the AIGAE association to experience historical paths of Emilia Romagna, from Piacenza to Rimini.

On Saturday 7^th September we are offering the opportunity to walk 10.4km of the Cultural Route of the Council of Europe from Cassio to Berceto, the last historic village before the Apennine crossing of Cisa to Tuscany. Info here: (https://camminiemiliaromagna.it/it/via_francigena/eventi_luoghi/258-i_love_cammini_er-via_francigena).

On 14^th September “I Love Cammini Emilia Romagna” will lead you to the discovery of the Francigena in the Padana countryside from Pontenure to Fiorenzuola. The French dates are organised by the European Association of Via Francigena Ways (EAVF) in collaboration with Banca Generali and the association Fiorenzuola in Movement (Info here: https://camminiemiliaromagna.it/it/via_francigena/eventi_luoghi/260-i_love_cammini_er-via_francigena).

How to participate? The excursion is free, the only thing you need to do is to book at: camminiemiliaromagna.it

What do you need? Just a pair of trainers, preferably with a stiff, thick sole, a cap, a backpack and you are already ready to book on to one of the free weekends of the first edition of “I love Cammini Emilia Romagna 2019”.

The routes almost never exceed 10km – most of them are limited to 7 or 8km – and are suitable for everyone. We leave at around 9.30am and return in the afternoon. Each re-entry has been calculated so that you can get public transport home.

For more information visit: www.camminiemiliaromagna.it and https://www.viefrancigene.org/en/I-love-francigena/

A meeting with the Via Francigena in Riminiwill take place from 18^th to 24^th August. In the institutional stand of the region of Emilia Romagna (Pavilion A3, Position A3.09) coordinated by APT Services Emilia Romagna, the routes are the protagonists of numerous events.

An event entitled “Circuit of the Ways and Routes of Pilgrimage sprees in Emilia Romagna. Five events dedicated to the Ways, the Ways of Pilgrimage, its protagonists, the news and the travel proposals” has been scheduled for 22^nd August, at which the European Association of Via Francigena Ways will also be present.

The day will be an opportunity to talk about “I Love Walks Emilia Romagna” with excursions scheduled on 7^th and 14^th September along the Via Francigena.

Programme:

• 11.30 Meeting with the Via Romea Strata Nonantolana – Longobarda to discover an ancient European route and travel proposals, and with the Way of St. Anthony, from Padua to La Verna via that unites places of millennial faith, and with its proposal of the Traveller’s cookie products.
• 13.00 Routes and pilgrimage routes in Emilia Romagna: discovering the territories, events and novelties of 2019 promoted on the site camminiemiliaromagna.it and the Way of the Abbots.
• 15.00 Meeting with the Via Romea Germanica to discover an ancient European route to Rome and travel proposals and the Way of Wool and Silk with travel offers.
• 16.30 Paths, Monasteries and Places of Faith in Emilia-Romagna. News and meeting with its leaders.
• 18.00 I Love Walks Emilia Romagna: 12 walks from June to September 2019. Presentation and meeting of the walk of 1^st September on the Via Romea Germanica; 7^th and 14^th September along the Via Francigena; 15^th September on the Via Matildica and 28^th September on the Way of St. Francis from Rimini to La Verna. Meeting with its leaders.

More information: https://www.meetingrimini.org/en/ and https://www.viefrancigene.org/en/I-love-francigena/