The project “For a Via Francigena of the South accessible to all” funded by the Ministry of Tourism to enhance slow, sustainable tourism and villages is nearing completion. The section being worked on is Lecce – Santa Maria di Leuca, 120 kilometers that become inclusive thanks to the project of the Municipality of Poggiardo, as the lead partner, in collaboration with the European Association of the Via Francigena (AEVF) and the Mollare Mai Association, covering about 120 km and 5 stages of the Via Francigena between Lecce and Santa Maria di Leuca, with specific actions in the municipalities of Poggiardo, Cannole, Giuggianello, Giurdignano, Martano, Palmariggi, and Tricase, and benefits also for other towns crossed.
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“The trails are one of the most powerful expressions of the Italy we want to promote: slow, sustainable tourism that regenerates territories and people,” said Gianmarco Mazzi, Minister of Tourism. “As a Ministry, we have invested with conviction in the Via Francigena as an identity axis that unites Europe and Italy, from the Alps to Santa Maria di Leuca. This project demonstrates how accessibility and innovation are complementary levers, capable of making a two-thousand-year-old path truly usable by everyone, no one excluded. This is the tourism model we support, in line with the great journey that will lead the Via Francigena to UNESCO recognition. Enhancing the trails means enhancing the roots and identities of our villages, creating real economy in the territories, and offering international travelers the authenticity that only Italy can provide.”
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This innovative model makes the Via Francigena of the South a pioneer in Italy for accessibility in a broad sense: not only motor, sensory, and cognitive disabilities, but also needs related to age, diet, and temporary conditions. It includes mapping critical points, georeferencing the route, services, and places of interest, maintenance interventions, and the development of augmented and virtual reality tools for inclusive enjoyment of the heritage. Planned are also rest points with first aid kits, smart benches powered by solar panels, and tactile QR codes. The project, which follows the AEVF Vademecum on the accessible Via Francigena and continues the path started with “Via Francigena For All” and “Hike4all,” is part of the national strategy supporting the candidacy of the Italian Via Francigena as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, currently under evaluation, with results expected in October 2026. As part of the project, from September 23 to 25, BTM Interactions will stop in Poggiardo with a fam trip for national and international buyers, B2B meetings with local operators, and on September 25 at 3 pm at the Palazzo della Cultura, a national conference on accessible tourism along the trails.
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