Author: Redazione AEVF

North and South of the Via Francigena are getting closer and closer. While the members are looking forward to participating in the upcoming General Assembly of the European Association of the Via Francigena Ways (AEVF) in Bari, to take place on 18 October 2019, the future of the European Cultural Route has been discussed in Canterbury. Recently, the president of the AEVF Mr Massimo Tedeschi has met Mr Robert Thomas, new Leader of the Canterbury City Council (CCC), elected in May 2019.

The meeting was focused on the following: the UNESCO World Heritage candidacy of the Via Francigena, the realisation of the official guide from Canterbury to Grand Saint Bernard Pass and a possibility of holding the AEVF’s General Assembly in Canterbury. Mr Colin Carmichael, the Chief Executive of the CCC, and Ms Velia Coffey, former Deputy Director General, attended the meeting and expressed their interest in the above-mentioned activities.

“The new administration led by Mr Robert Thomas pays close attention at the Via Francigena and the UNESCO World Heritage candidacy project. The CCC is committed to promote the Via together with the county of Kent and the government of London. It is an important development towards the next project step involving Italy, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom: presentation of the European framework – excellently drafted by the working group coordinated by our Association – in order to proceed with the Via Francigena nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage List ”confirms Mr Tedeschi.

The Cathedral of Canterbury was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988. Next to the south portico of the Cathedral lays the stone that indicates the zero kilometre of the Via Francigena – a symbolic place for all pilgrims. The Via Francigena becoming UNESCO World Heritage in its integrity would bring a great added value to the route, which heritage is already present on the UNESCO List as singular sites along the path.

The English section of the Via Francigena always works on infrastructure development. “There was a discussion about the 30 kilometres section of the Via Francigena from Canterbury to Dover: it already has good signage and maintenance – explains Mr Tedeschi – All without forgetting promotion and communication activities focused on the pilgrims who want to start the journey. For those departing from Canterbury, I remember that the city’s tourist office at the Beany Museum provided official AEVF pilgrims’ passwords. Just in these days, four pilgrims from Parma leave from this splendid city in a southern direction”.

Cultural route and publishing: the first official Via Francigena guide on the stretch from Canterbury to the Grand Saint Bernard Pass is to be printed by the Swiss publisher Favre from Lausanne.

So many goals are set for this year. The idea of holding the AEVF General Assembly in England can soon materialise, as the proposal, launched by the President Tedeschi a long time ago, was positively received by the interlocutors, who are to propose a suitable date in spring next year.

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Cycling outfits are ready for the “CorreVoce”  cycling campaign along the Via Francigena from Aosta to Rome to raise awareness and inform people of selective mutism.

 The top includes everything you need to know, the route taken through Italy, including stops, and the AIMUSE, EAVF and technical sponsor’s headquarters. It’s a project strongly supported by AIMUSE, Italian association of selective mutism, to strengthen 10 years of work and promotion of the disorder.

Elisa Marchio, AIMUSE president explained: “In these past 10 years, we’ve done a lot to raise awareness of selective mutism, in 2018 alone we launched over 50 national events. A lot has been done, but we can still do more.”

The project involves six meetings along the route, one per region. The cyclists will begin on 30th September in Aosta; 1st October in Ivrea (Mongrando) for CorreVoce Piedmont; 3rd October in Pavia for CorreVoce Lombardy; 4th October in Fidenza for CorreVoce Emilia Romagna; 7th October in Lucca for CorreVoce Tuscany and 13th October for the last stop in Rome for CorreVoce Lazio.

“We’d like to thank our representatives from ReAl Bike Experience, Renato and Alessandro“, added Elisa, “but above all, the regional representatives and their collaborators: Sara Piazza for Piedmont; Laura Parisi for Lombardy; Chiara Mistri for Emilia Romagna; Giuseppe Monda for Tuscany and Francesca Conforti for Lazio. It’s thanks to their hard work that this project has a voice.“

The “CorreVoce” project is also supported by the EAVF – European Association of Via Francigena Ways.

Source: Press release

From 2 to 13 September at 8.20 pm on Rai3 , “Boez – Let’s go away ” is broadcasting the docu-series of ten episodes which tells the story of the journey on foot of six boys convicted of breaking the law and under internal and external detention.

It is a long and demanding journey, but they are ready to go. And their starting point is a prison. Because Alessandro, Francesco, Omar, Matteo, Maria and Kekko have been chosen to participate in a special program of external expiation of the penalty. A long journey awaits them along the Via Francigena del Sud, from Rome to Santa Maria di Leuca, in Puglia. Fifty stops for over 900 km, a tough test both physical and emotional. 

The Docu-Serie, a Rai Fiction-Stemal Entertainment co-production, tells the physical but also emotional and “atonement” path of these six boys. A journey / pilgrimage that experiences the journey as a recovery device, an alternative punishment already practiced in other European countries and which reduces the percentage of recidivism. 

This is the first television product that deals with this type of issue, as well as a revolutionary experiment with a strong social impact, so much so that the Ministry of Justice has recognized its public function and has actively supported its realization, believing that it can actively contribute to the transformation of society. A theme that only Rai as a public broadcasting service concessionaire can address and tell. 

Also from the point of view of production and filming it is an experiment, with troupes that have been organized to be less invasive. Then, to make the story more authentic, the use of the shots taken by the guys with the mobile phone was introduced as a narrative element: a self-representation without filters that integrates that of the “official” cameras.

The link to review the episodes on RaiPlay:  https://www.raiplay.it/video/2019/08/Boez-Andiamo-via-S1E1-63111452-87a9-45a7-9f99-4899f1b04926.html

BOEZ – Let’s go away signed by Roberta Cortella – Paola Pannicelli, directed by Roberta Cortella – Marco Leopardi. 
With Omar Ben Aoun, Maria Cristea, Francesco Dinoi, Alessandro Paglialonga, Matteo Santoro, Francesco Tafuno. Community Educator, Ilaria D’Appollonio and Marco Saverio Loperfido.

Marco Xavier Loperfido is  g uid AIGAE,  writer, creator and curator of the collective project of mapping and storage of walking and site  ammappalitalia.it , mapper of long distance walk “The tour of Tuscia in 80 Days,” “Umbria: passages to the south-west »and  « Country Europe »  (these experiences become books and guides for  Annulli Editori , the last one with the title  The lizards start again in Friborg ).

Source: RAI press release