On December 15 in Piazza della Visione in the La Storta district of Rome, the #RetakeFrancigena project was presented to institutions and citizens. The project was created by the volunteers of the RetakeRoma groups already active in the renovation of common goods within their home neighbourhoods.
The #RetakeFrancigena project was designed to renovate and enhance the route via  events dedicated to Via Francigena on the section from the La Storta district to Saint Peter Square. The involved Retake groups, whose names derive from the neighbourhoods where they operate, are specifically crossed by Via Francigena, namely RetakeRoma La Storta, where the project was born, La Giustiniana, Tomba di Nerone, Ottavia, Monte Mario, Balduina, Prati.
As expected, a crèche was installed in front of the Visione Chapel, made using Retake principles, with recycled materials (glass bottles, candy packets, wooden crates, etc.) but also the reproduction of the last meters of Via Francigena with the Pilgrims arriving in Saint Peter Square escorted by a Retaker with the typical blue bib.
After the blessing of the crèche organized by the parish priest of La Storta Cathedral, Daniela de Lena, coordinator of the Retake Roma La Storta movement explained the project while the historical explanation of Via Francigena was entrusted to the reading of a passage taken from the publication “Isola Farnese e Veio: Porta di Roma della moderna Via Francigena” produced by the Valorisons Veio Association represented by the president Marco Petrelli, the author of the volume.
After recalling that the #RetakeFrancigena events obtained the support of the European Association of the Via Francigena Ways on a no-cost basis, there were the interventions of the President of the 15th district Stefano Simonelli, the President of the Park of Veio Giorgio Polesi and the Italian Corps of San Lazzaro by Ilaria Bartolotti, who represented the entity which performs the service of Protection of Historical Routes and Landscape through the defence of the territory and its heritage, assistance and rescue hikers in difficulty and whose specifically trained volunteers interface with local operators using innovative technological communication systems.
We also received the visit of Luciano Naticchioni, Councilor of the XIV district and Massimiliano Morino, member of the Confraternity of Santiago de Compostela who manages the Hospital of Divina Provvidenza in the Trastevere district in Rome.
During the event the Breton pilgrim Franck Noel arrived from the previous stage of Campagnano, coming from Canterbury. Welcomed with great joy, he attended the event and after having received the stamp in his pilgrim’s passport, he was accompanied to visit the Chapel of the Visione of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and the Francigene fountain that the group Retake Roma La Storta is renovating, then he exchanged with the people about his trip on the Via Francigena which he called “wonderful”.
from the press releaseÂ
