Author: Redazione AEVF

Maintenance work on the Via Francigena continues. In the last few weeks, thanks to the collaboration between organisations and local associations, the first grass cutting event was carried out along a part of the route in Tuscany, in the municipalities of San Gimignano, Colle Val d’Elsa, Monteriggioni, Siena, Monteroni d’Arbia and Radicofani.

The Municipality of Siena, as leader of the associated management for the enhancement of the Via Francigena with the collaboration of the region of Tuscany, carried out route care and control in order to make the route safer and accessible.

The monitoring and mapping of critical issues carried out by the Trekking Group of Siena in collaboration with the EAVF, the municipalities involved and local associations, made it possible to verify the route’s status from different perspectives: from signage to practicability with attention to fountains along the way. These activities will continue with the maintenance of greenery in the other municipalities, the integration of the signage and cleaning of the paths.

“The Municipality of Siena, in particular the Mayor De Mossi, immediately paid particular attention to the enhancement of religious paths. To this end, we created an operational unit for Sovracomunali projects, which constitute a reference point for this important type of tourism and for all the Municipalities involved, playing a stable role in the promotion and coordination of routes“, explains the councillor for tourism of Siena, Alberto Tirelli.

Another step forward for the Via Francigena, a more and more popular destination for tourists and pilgrims, as well as a location for major events. On 12th and 13th October, in fact, the stretch from Siena to Acquapendente will be the setting for a new edition of the World Francigena Ultramarathon – two days of trekking and Nordic walking to discover a territory rich in natural and artistic beauty along Sigeric’s ancient route.

See pictures of the maintenance of greenery in Siena, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni and Colle Val d’Elsa.

The European Association of the Via Francigena Ways participates in the annual Council of Europe Cultural Routes award.

This year edition is dedicated to the achievements in the field of cultural tourism and sustainable development. The Via Francigena, actively working in these priority areas of the Council of Europe, presented its best practice example to the award – the project “Sosta & Gusta” (“Stop and Taste“).

This project is an excellent example of promotion of a territory via its gastronomic heritage. Sosta & Gusta brought together private and public partners from the region of Emilia-Romagna, in particularly the province of Parma, to introduce pilgrims to the famous Parmesan cheese and it’s making process.

The results of the award competition will be announced during the Forum on Cultural Routes on 2-4 October 2019 in Sibiu, Romania.

More information:

Sosta & Gusta

Forum on Cultural Routes 

Cultural Routes of the Council Europe

Thirty-four days of walking to cover the entire Via Francigena, and then continue through the Magna Via Francigena from Palermo to Agrigento, arriving in Ireland along the Dingle Way.

This is the path that Salvatore Liggeri, a 26-year-old of Sicilian origins who has been living for some time in Ponte a Egola, has decided to take to support the Dynamo Camp project and to discover some of the most beautiful routes in our area.

“A few years ago I did the Camino de Santiago, on a trip to Interrail through Europe – explains the young pilgrim -. On that journey I started documenting my days through the Facebook page ‘Sharing happiness’, where today a community has been created with over 3,000 followers. This visibility allowed me to get in touch with different Tuscan people that care about the promotion of the paths, especially the Via Francigena”.

After having participated in “Vita all’aria aperta”, the event that CarraraFiere dedicates to all outdoor enthusiasts, as well as food and wine and territorial excellences, and to the “Manifesto sull’accoglienza”, the meeting held in Altopascio, he decided to set off again, this time with two other goals.

“First of all, to make all those who doubt the organisation and the signs aware of the Via Francigena, to show that it is a well-organised and feasible route – explains Liggeri -. And then to continue with support for the project ‘The journey for Dynamo’, to which I dedicated a book (Salvo a Santiago, published in 2019) the proceeds of which are donated entirely to this purpose – he concludes – With this trip I want to bring the message to young people because the Via Francigena is a journey for them too, but above all for families to discover a territory, the history of a place and its culture. It’s also for the citizens who welcome those who walk and share with them”.

His departure is scheduled for 5th August from the Great St Bernard Pass and will pass San Miniato around 9th September. The mayor of San Miniato, Simone Giglioli, and Councillor, Elisa Montanelli, greeted Liggeri with an institutional gift this morning to welcome him in the Town Hall and wish him a pleasant journey.

“Seeing a young man who, with so much enthusiasm, decides to promote one of the most beautiful paths we have is a great boost of confidence – explain the two administrators – He is an ambassador of our territory around Europe, with a noble purpose and the vision of a truly modern pilgrim. When he leaves San Miniato in September, we will accompany him for a while to support his cause and his ideas“.

Source: press release Comune San Miniato

On 23 – 24 July 2019 the Via Francigena participated in the interim management meeting of the 12-month  project “Italy, Greece and Turkey on foot“, which took place in a town of Misi, in the vicinity of Turkish Bursa.
The project, led by a Turkish NGO “Culture Routes Society” in partnership with the European Association Via Francigena Ways and Greek “Trace Your Eco“, aims to develop a transnational cultural route of Via Eurasia from Bari to Demre crossing Italy, Albania, Northern Macedonia, Turkey.

The management meeting was focused on governance and Council of Europe cultural routes priority areas – sustainable development, enhancement of memory, youth participation and artistic practices. 

Mr Luca Bruschi, the director of the European Association of Via Francigena Ways, presented  best practice examples and their work of extension of the Via to the South.

The Municipality of Nilüfer, the host of the meeting, demonstrated their route development methodology and community based projects along the Mysian Ways. 

In the framework of the meeting the EAVF participated in the study visit to discover the Mysian Ways (300km), the route of ancient Mysian civilization, which starts in a picturesque village of Misi and takes you to the Doganci Baraji lake. 

During the visit the participants met representatives of associations and volunteers and visited a bakery founded by a local women’s association. The trip ended with an excursion to the museum of exchanged population which exhibits a story of migration in the region. 

More information on the topic:

Culture Routes Society: Turkey, Greece & Italy on Foot Project – Bursa Meeting

Municipality of Nilüfer: Türkiye İtalya ve Yunanistan’ın kültür rotaları Nilüfer’de birleşiyor

The project is co-financed by the European Union.