LETTER
TO FRIENDS SUMMER 2012
With the support and assistance of our Friends and Friends
Associations, AIVF is now actively promoting the historic pilgrim routes to
Rome by working with guided historic VF route projects!
EVENTS
In Italy 2012
March 24
Archaeological walk from Campagnano to Cesano (9
km) guided by Vittorio through the excavations of Baccano (the first Roman
station excavated 30 years ago is now practicable). It will be suggested again
for the Italian Enviroment Day (FAI) in 2013. The passage of pilgrims will keep
it clean - please do your part.
April 24
National VF Day: Etrusco-Roman VF between Monterosi and Cesano (25
km), a guided walk with Aldo that only met 7-8 cars. And on May 5 done again
with a dozen enthusiastic participants from a Roman Health Unit.
June 17
The ancient Etrusco-Roman VF from Veio to Isola Farnese-La Storta (the
Via Veientana-which leads to Cesano), was organized by the 20th district of
Rome on the occasion of "VF walks in the parks of Lazio" sponsored by
the Lazio Region.
July 1
A variant of the Ivrea-Santhia Roman road from Cella di Borgo d'Ale to
Azeglio, along the south shore of Lake Viverone (presence of prehistoric lake
dwellings) with Mario and Valter, Friends of Santhià. The missing sections are
on schedule for the coming months.
September 26
Exploring Cesano: presentation of the VF from Monterosi + walking
+ visit + aperitif at the Osteria del Borgo as part of the VF Evenings (Tuscany-Lazio). info@francigena-international.org
In Switzerland:
October 12-14
In Romainmotier (Autumn Fair and Cowbell Market) the ancient Sigeric route from Jougne (22km) will be
organised by VF FRIENDS Francis and Jeannine.
ROUTES
"A big THANK YOU and BRAVO to EVERYONE
(pilgrims, associations, public and private institutions) for their effective
and generous work" says Pierre-Yves (CH), who has walked again, after 11
years, the Tuscany-Lazio VF route: signposting, the pleasure of meeting other
pilgrims (almost daily), the satisfaction of no longer being considered crazy,
but recognized and supported as a pilgrim, improvements to the track and work
completed (sidewalks, paths). The only remaining regret is the crowded meeting
(for the Testimonium) in the hall of St. Peter’s Basilica, but this problem
will be solved by the second reception centre in S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini.
Finally the AIVF dream.
The Iceland-Basle-Vevey Nikulas route (1154), is being
brought to fruition between June and October 2012 by Nino who is fully
supported by the AIVF. Eva,
our coordinator in Germany, has improved the route. You can follow Nino on the
blog, ilcamminoritrovatoblogspot.it (rediscovered route) and support him by
walking some of the way.
He will be very pleased! The TOPOFRANCIGENA CH and
DORMIFRANCIGENA CH will be invaluable to them but some other pilgrims are
already taking the route and Father Quéloz of Courrendlin is thrilled.
From Stade there is another route to Rome, that of Abbot Albert von Stade (1252),
which passes through East Germany and is already well structured thanks to a
recently-formed association of German and Italian communes.
In Switzerland (warning!) watch your budget: the parish of Sainte-Croix no
longer receives pilgrims, and accommodation between Auberson and Romainmotier
(50 km) is expensive! The Jougne-Romainmotier variant (22 km) is cheaper.
DANGER on the official route (marked No. 70) Martigny―Bovernier: none of the
planned improvements have been made. Hubert Moulin and Francis Geere suggest an
easy and safe alternative from Martigny-Bourg (Ruelle de Mont Chemin), Chemin-Dessus
(2h), Vens―Sembrancher (1.5h). See NEW VIA map on website.
In France: The VF 145 GR is under construction, the CDRP (Comité Départemental Randonnée
Pédestre) is trying some variants to make it closer to history and,
especially, to pilgrims.
In Italy: June 2012. According to pilgrims passing
through the Aosta Valley (Chatillon area), the VF situation is not very good.
Warning! Cristina Menghini, who marked the entire Italian
official VF with red & white adhesive tape in 2011, compiled a list of all the
difficulties on her website http://www.viefrancigene.it/le-tappe/italia.html.
This moved the AIVF to look for solutions
among the historic routes. Many of them are mentioned in the VF guide "La
VF, le Chemin de Sigeric du Grand St. Bernard à Rome" 2012. They are
shorter, pleasanter, smoother and mostly on quieter roads. This AIVF research is supported by Franco Alessandri
of the "Il Pellegrino di Firenze" association who is making GPS
verifications to produce a map of historical VF throughout Tuscany.
The Ivrea-Santhià Azeglio path (short, level, shaded) is
already used by about 20% of pilgrims who say they love it.
The Sarzana to Luni path (short, level) with accommodation possible at Camping
Marina 3b (5 km), is closest to the medieval route to the village of St.
Maurice and its harbour (no more visible along the river Magra) where once pilgrims
embarked for Spain, or Jerusalem. It is possible to reach the Santa Croce monastery
(by boat because bridge has collapsed), after which the VF follows the coast to
Marina di Massa and then winds back up into the Tuscan hills before
Pietrasanta.
On leaving S. Quirico, Franco was thrilled to be walking
on the paved path used by Sigeric to Gallina (4 km shorter than the official
VF). Back in the valley, after Abbadia S. Salvatore, a high path parallel to
the Via Cassia leads from Voltole to Ponte a Rigo, From Centeno to Acquapendente 8 km, of which
3.4 are dangerous, to get beyond the Gregoriano bridge, still along the Via
Cassia. Unfortunately, the province of Viterbo is not interested in VF or in
its safety. Not many are the pilgrims willing to make the 10 km safe detour via
Proceno.
Upon request, AIVF will provide its
members with updates on the TOPO and the official MiBAC route as long as we are
informed or able to get the information.
Joint initiative: AIVF and
University of Siena (Department of Archaeology Territory) have promoted the
"Places of the Heart" petition from the FAI (Italian Environment Foundation)
to vote for the ancient via Francigena route from S. Quirico
to Centeno: add your vote (it appears immediately) and add your photos and
comments on the internet
http://www.iluoghidelcuore.it/segnala/antica-via-francigena-nell-alta-valle-del-paglia
(commune of Abbadia S.Salvatore, name: Via Francigena). We need hundreds and
thousands of signatures so add yours now! The many postal votes will be added
to October 30.
The AIVF has launched
three SOS's for the historic VF. 500m of the route at Monteroni d'Arbia (south
of Siena) is paved (even if it is white); a bio-mass factory 400m away
threatens to the rest of Sigeric's site of Voltole; Cesano risks losing its
authenticity through a useless development project (sidewalks, bike paths, etc.),
thank you to FRIENDS who have written to the mayors. Lets join forces to
prevent these massacres - difficult but not impossible.
Now a DOUBLE welcome for pilgrims in Rome. AIVF
and ALP (Ad Limina Petri-CEI Italian
Episcopal Commission) were invited by Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi (ORP the
largest religious tour operator) to coordinate their actions. The church and
oratory of S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini (opposite St Angelo Castle) offers a
spiritual welcome 7 days a week with masses and a stop at the Chapel of St.
Mary Magdalene (the recently-identified precious 16th C. relic
containing her foot). It also provides information about the Testimonium (rules
for obtaining them from the ORP and St. Peter's Basilica will be better
coordinated and defined in the coming months) as well as information about very
economical accommodation in religious communities, etc.
Since 2001, 2913 (on 10/07/2012), VF pilgrims have been received and are
recorded in the Pilgrims' Register at St. Peter's, which also hosts millions of
other pilgrims and tourists. S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini is a boon for VF
pilgrims.
ASSOCIATIONS
Contacts with AEVF (European VF Association), chaired by
Mr Tedeschi, were strengthened through AIVF participation
at the general meetings in Abbadia S. Salvatore on 29/10/11 and Martigny, which
was attended by the new director of the European Institute of Cultural Routes (IEIC),
Penelope Denu (14/04/12).
These occasions have highlighted the AIVF's
commitment to promoting the historic routes and introducing the new 2012 VF
guide (Ed Lepère). The reviews of the guide and of St Pilgrim, between Myth and
History will be reported in the AEVF magazine "Via Francigena". The
latest AEVF idea is a VF campervan itinerary.
Associations-Friends of the AIVF - there
was a fruitful meeting 2-3 April organized by the Santhià Friends of the VF
which clarified the characteristics of the official VF route north of Lake
Viverone and the one suggested by the AIVF
to the south. AIVF President, Adelaide, met the Ivrea Company of Sigeric, which
will hopefully lead to a real collaboration on the Roman-medieval VF routes.
Santhià and VF Friends of Abbadia SS are strongly committed to seeking
Roman-medieval pilgrim routes and are engaging with local residents to find
paths and for local maintenance and signposting. The AIVF thanks them for their energy and enthusiasm for promoting the
historical landscape along the VF.
The associations are gradually coming together. Thus, Alberto Alberti of Rete
dei Cammini associated the AIVF with the
awarding of a medal of recognition for VF activities by the City of Rome, and
the AIVF has been promoting the VF route
in Insugherata Park, the gateway to Rome. For guided tours, the AIVF can count on the professionalism of Aldo
Romani-CAI (Italian Alpine Club) and Vittorio Paielli Altair-Rome.
PUBLICATIONS 2012
Cesano Borgo fortificato sulla VF - How to discover, thanks to the VF, a hidden medieval
village, the second AIVF VF scientific book, Cesano Borgo
fortificato sulla VF by A. Trezzini and Luisa Chiumenti has been published.
DORMIFRANCIGENA B Italy - Another big AIVF job in time and
financial terms has been the publication of the 4th ed. of the only reliable,
accommodation guide, the DORMIFRANCIGENA B Italy. Some more communes in France
have asked to use the European VF logo, owned by the AIVF.
MEMBERS
Our FRIENDS-pilgrims, 1490 of them since 1998, come from 26
different countries and are mostly French, Dutch and Swiss. For those who wish
to be helpful, tell others about the riches of this historical route in the
footsteps of Sigeric. Without the pilgrims, the VF would not exist. Along with the pilgrims, the AIVF would like to express its sincere
appreciation to the staff of volunteers, our coordinators, Virginia, Hubert and
Eva, and our translators Carol and Margot.
AIVF's President, Adelaide Trezzini is always pleased to meet our FRIENDS-pilgrims when she is in Rome. If you have a PROBLEM, call us. We will do our best to help you. 06
85302675 / 06 916507710 info@francigena-international.org
