Sustainable tourism at the center of Enit promotion with the AEVF. Over 1.500 people joined the group, crossing over 600 municipalities in Europe and rural Italy
The round table "the paths of Rome and central Italy" will be held on 11 September
Five countries, 16 regions and 657 municipalities make up the 3.200 km total of the extraordinary “Via Francigena - Road to Rome” route which today 10 September reaches the Eternal City, Rome, before continuing towards Santa Maria di Leuca along the Via Francigena del Sud. A long slow journey that wants to look at the restart after the pandemic with optimism and wants to raise awareness among institutions to relaunch the candidacy of the Via Francigena as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, promoted by the Italian Regions and the Italian Ministry of Culture. Significant data recorded by IRPET, the regional institute for tourism planning, which analyzed the growth of the Via in the decade 2009-2019: on the podium the Tuscany Region, where the Francigena crosses 37 municipalities, which in the last 10 years has recorded a 63% increase in pilgrims and tourists, but the phenomenon affects the entire route. The Francigena thus becomes a bridge with Europe, an opportunity to network the territories also thanks to the long "Road to Rome" march which involved dozens of partners of the caliber of Intesa Sanpaolo, Credito Sportivo and Snam, just to mention some companies - and a challenge to be taken up by structures and institutions that can benefit from the impact of the journey in economic and cultural terms. The estimated 60.000 pilgrims a year who walk for at least a week on the Via Francigena generates an impact on the territories of over 20 million euros.
“With its 28 offices around the world, Enit has acted as a sounding board for this so unanimous expression of sustainable tourism. Today, the stage in the Eternal City is a fundamental symbolic moment for Enit and for Italy not only because it marks the restart but also because it travels and achieves in an ideal way a reduction of the limits and borders imposed by the health emergency. A return to real experiences in a fil rouge that is a storytelling made up of people who encourage and meet each other along the way. The Italian way of life and Made in Italy are the peculiarity of this country which is unique and first in the world with more Unesco sites. Enit has been alongside the experience put in place by the via Francigene association with constant media amplification, guaranteeing almost 300 national and international releases that are a breath of fresh air for the sector grappling with sustainable reconversion and for the image of the Peninsula in the world ”declares the President of Enit Giorgio Palmucci. The long “Road to Rome” march is a very important opportunity to make the Via Francigena project known to a wide international public, a project that has aroused great interest everywhere - says EAVF President Massimo Tedeschi. The welcome to the group of walkers was very cordial both from the local authorities and from the associations of walkers who, at each stage, joined us and accompanied us.
“Via Francigena Road to Rome after three months of walking has arrived in Rome and will remain in Lazio until 22 September - underlines Pierluigi Monceri regional director of Lazio and Abruzzo of Intesa Sanpaolo. An exciting journey to discover villages and enchanting places that, as the Intesa Sanpaolo Group, we have supported with great enthusiasm because we strongly believe in the enhancement of the territories of our splendid country and in the promotion of cultural and sustainable tourism that can also have important economic returns to favor of communities and geographic areas sometimes less known to the general public but no less interesting and full of opportunities “. Today 10 September the group of the "Road to Rome" will be welcomed in the Vatican, where they will be able to symbolically go to the tomb of Peter, in St. Peter's Basilica. The presence in Rome will then be characterized by some important meetings in the presence of ENIT President Giorgio Palmucci: at 17:30 at the Civita headquarters where the Civita Association and the European Association of the Vie Francigene organize the Round Table "The paths to the future: opportunities and priorities of the Recovery Plan "and on 11 September at 17 pm the round table" The paths of Rome and central Italy "(at the Historical and Cultural Institute of the Arma del Genio) promoted by the Foundation Magna Carta, Agedi and EAVF with the patronage of Enit.