Editoriale Special issue Via Francigena: the Long Way of Peace among the European Landscapes

Starting from this special issue, Almatourism is pleased to introduce a new series of yearly publications (due every January) devoted to research, education and project development on the interactions between Heritage, Cultural Tourism, Landscape and Cultural Itineraries (including also specific focuses on pilgrimage), especially addressing the growing scientific, professional and public community interested in this field. These geopolitical and territorial phenomena have increasingly lent themselves to being interpreted as tools for sustainable cultural tourism and sustainable local development, also useful to rescale social participation, with the enhancement of Europe's cultural and heritage diversity as a main priority. This publication is the outcome of the International Conference "Via Francigena: the Long Way of Peace among the European Landscapes" (2016 April 28/30 between Fidenza and Piacenza). The event was organized in the framework of the European project “Via Francigena and the Pilgrimage Ways”, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the European Association Vie Francigene (2001), seven years after the European Council label (1994) of the Sigerico's pathfrom Canterbury to Rome, winding along the pilgrim's historical route from North "Francigena" regions to St. Peter's City. This project represents a very important cultural and academic step for the Via Francigena route and the other trans-­‐ national pilgrimage routes certified by the Council of Europe, capitalising upon the 2012-­‐2013 DG Growth funded project “This is Europe PER VIAM -­‐ Pilgrims' Routes in Action”.