On 21 - 23 May 2026, Altopascio, a historic stop along the Via Francigena in Tuscany, hosted the International Conference marking the 25th anniversary of the European Association of the Via Francigena ways (AEVF) and its General Assembly.

The event brought together more than 130 participants, including AEVF members, local administrators, institutional representatives and stakeholders from the Via Francigena network coming from the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland and Italy.

Within this important institutional framework, the European project DETOUR was presented as a flagship project, contributing to the development and innovation of the Via Francigena and its territories. Representatives of AEVF took part in the event, together with the Municipality of Fidenza, lead partner of the DETOUR project.

During the General Assembly, Elena Dubinina, the AEVF Head of International Projects, presented the main goals already achieved by DETOUR and outlined the next phases of the project: the presentation highlighted how walking routes and cultural itineraries are increasingly becoming strategic assets for entrepreneurial development, territorial regeneration and the creation of new opportunities for local communities.

DETOUR was presented as a concrete example of how cultural routes can support innovative forms of cooperation between public bodies, private operators, local stakeholders and communities. By encouraging new business models, sustainable tourism practices and stronger links between heritage, economy and territory, the project aims to strengthen the role of the Via Francigena as a driver for local development.

This vision was further confirmed by the speech delivered by Davide Malvisi, the Mayor of Fidenza, who underlined the growing importance of the Via Francigena not only as a cultural and historical route, but also as a platform for territorial promotion, entrepreneurship and sustainable development.

The presence of DETOUR at the AEVF General Assembly represented an important opportunity to share the progress of the project with the wider European network of the Via Francigena, while reinforcing the project’s contribution to the future of cultural routes as living infrastructures for innovation, cooperation and local growth.

[Credits: AEVF]