Canterbury Calais Bruay Arras Reims Chalons sur MarneBar sur Aube Besancon Pontarlier Losanna Gran San Bernardo Aosta Ivrea Santhia Vercelli Pavia Piacenza Fiorenzuola Fidenza Parma Fornovo Pontremoli Aulla Luni Lucca S.Genesio S.Gimignano Siena S.Quirico Bolsena Viterbo Sutri Roma

hanks to the work of the International Scientific Committee, we are today in a position to retrace this route on the basis of a document left to us by Sigeric, Archibishop of Canterbury. In 994, on his way back to Canterbury from Rome, he described the itinerary and the main stopping places along the way in his memories. Moreover, by agreeing to the requests of the local authorities involved,the Council of Europe has declared the Via Francigena a "European Cultural Itinerary", like the route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. This recognition testifies to Europe's cultural identity in the broadest sense of the word, by appreciating both its peculiarities and its unity and by laying special emphasis on its artistic patrimony. The Via Francigena represented in fact the union and communication of cultures and ideas belonging to a wide European community expressing then the wish and need for unity which has eventually led today to the breaking-down of national barriers.