Massimo Tedeschi
European Association Via Francigena
Massimo Tedeschi graduated in engineering. He founded the European Association of Via Francigena in 2001.
Former member of Italian Parliament (2004-2006) and Mayor of Fidenza (1991-2004) and Salsomaggiore Terme (2006-2011), he is the he Vice President of the Consulta Nazionale per gli Itinerari Storici, culturali e religiosi, the Advisory Board for Historical, Cultural and Religious Routes of the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage, created in 2007.
The Via Francigena is an ancient pathway of pilgrimage connecting Canterbury (UK) with Rome (Italy) across France, Switzerland and Italy. As a diagonal across the European continent, the Via can be seen as a way of cultures, a path of history still alive today, helping to construct the Europe of Peoples. The European Association of the Vie Francigene works developing and safeguarding this route that thousand of pilgrims still walk along today. Awarded as European Cultural Route, the Via has become a reference of sustainable tourism, a networks system that enhances the development of territories within. Spa tradition is visible within the route, and it has been developed as an important element within the modern pilgrimages, adding further value.
