Life & Leisure

The Aeneas Route, a cultural itinerary to connect with the Mediterranean

Rome, Feb 15 (EFE).- The Aeneas Route, a journey starting from a burning Troy to Italy crossing five Mediterranean countries, has been certified as a cultural itinerary by the Council of Europe for its “prestige”, president of the Aeneas Route Association, Giovanni Cafiero, said on Tuesday.

“This route is important for the values it promotes, especially for the idea that progress comes from the mixture of cultures and not from border policies,” Cafiero told Efe.

The mythical journey of the Trojan hero crosses through Turkey, Albania, Greece, Tunisia and ends in Italy, according to the Roman poet Virgil, who wrote the poem ‘Aeneid’ in which he tells the legendary story of Aeneas fleeing Troy after its fall.

Today, centuries later, the route crosses three national parks and six United Nations World Heritage sites including Troia, Delos, Butrint, Mount Etna, Carthage, Cilento Park and Vallo di Diano.

“This mention is a recognition of prestige and quality that will allow (us) to attract more attention from the institutions to be able to find financing and create projects with the local communities and public entities of all these regions,” Cafiero said.

It also acknowledges the efforts the entity he presides over and local authorities have been doing to “take this project to an international level,” he added.

The route also provides a chance to reconnect with nature as it is made up of beautiful natural landscapes which for Cafiero represent “the basis of Mediterranean civilizations”.

The story of Aeneas symbolizes values that, in times of difficulty and crisis in today’s society, are very important, such as “resilience, hope for the future and solidarity between generations,” he added.

The first route to be certified as a cultural itinerary by the Council of Europe was the Camino de Santiago in Spain, in 1987. EFE

acd/ta/mp

Related Articles

Back to top button