Italy's culture ministry backs bid seeking World Heritage status for the ancient pilgrimage route.

Italy has begun the process of seeking UNESCO World Heritage status for the Italian section of the Via Francigena, an ancient pilgrimage route that dates back to the Middle Ages.

A ceremony to sign a memorandum of understanding for the candidacy of the Via Francigena for inclusion on the prestigious list was held in Venice on Monday, in the presence of Italy's culture minister Alessandro Giuli.

The bid is backed by the culture ministry along with seven Italian regions, led by Tuscany, according to a statement on the culture ministry website.

• Walking to Rome along the Via Francigena

“The Via Francigena, with its extraordinary cultural, landscape and spiritual richness, deserves to be recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site", Giuli stated.

The bid relates to the entire Italian network of roads that make up the pilgrim route, which stretches from the cathedral city of Canterbury in England to Rome.

Oggi a Venezia, al Festival delle Regioni, presentato il Protocollo per la candidatura della Via Francigena italiana a Patrimonio Unesco. Un progetto che va valorizzato su scala mondiale, frutto della sinergia tra Ministero della Cultura e 7 Regioni, con Toscana capofila. pic.twitter.com/3sAPMKvEIn

— Alessandro Giuli (@AlessGiuli) May 19, 2025

The Via Francigena spans about 1,200 km in Italy, from the Apline passes to the capital, incorporating seven regions: Valle d'Aosta, Piemonte, Lombardia, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Lazio.

"It is an important step in a process that Tuscany has been working on for several years", the region's president Eugenio Giani said of the bid, describing it as "an example of slow tourism that must be brought to life and enjoyed in its uniqueness".

• Via Francigena, ancient pilgrimage route

The candidature will be evaluated by 15 June by Italy's national UNESCO commission and, if approved, will be presented to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre for its preliminary evaluation.

If the bid passes this stage of the process, it will then be submitted to the World Heritage Committee for evaluation at its 2029 session, the culture ministry said.

Last year Italy was successful in its bid to have the Via Appia Antica, or Appian Way, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.