From Historical Mobilities to European Cultural Route

Leonardo Porcelloni

From Historical Mobilities to European Cultural Route

Via Francigena, Heritage and Pilgrimage

Ancient road networks, once vital corridors of movement and exchange, continue to shape contemporary societies through evolving approaches to mobility, heritage, and tourism. This volume examines the transformation of medieval itineraries, particularly the via Francigena, within the framework of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, highlighting its role as a complex phenomenon reflecting ongoing processes of territorialisation and contemporary reinterpretation.

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Pages: 292

ISBN: 9788835173434

Edition: 1a edizione 2025

Publisher code: 616.28

Availability: Discreta

Pages: 292

ISBN: 9788835179863

Edizione:1a edizione 2025

Publisher code: 616.28

Can print: No

Can Copy: No

Can annotate: Sì

Format: PDF con DRM Readium LCP

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Pages: 292

ISBN: 9788835182900

Edizione:1a edizione 2025

Publisher code: 616.28

Can print: No

Can Copy: No

Can annotate: Sì

Format: ePub con DRM Readium LCP

Info about e-books

Ancient road networks, once vital corridors of movement and exchange, continue to shape contemporary societies through evolving approaches to mobility, heritage, and tourism. This volume examines the transformation of medieval itineraries, particularly the via Francigena, within the framework of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, highlighting its role as a complex phenomenon reflecting ongoing processes of territorialisation and contemporary reinterpretation.
Adopting a geo-historical perspective, it explores the evolving identity of the via Francigena, tracing its journey from a medieval route to a living cultural landscape. Drawing on spatial analysis and ethnographic insights, it captures the dynamic processes of heritage and pilgrimage reinterpretation, connecting local realities to broader European narratives.
In this context, the volume is structured to provide a methodological framework for understanding the shifting nature of historical routes. It presents critical insights into the processes of heritage inclusion and adaptation, with a particular focus on the Cultural Routes model, offering a lens through which to examine the complex interplay between historical continuity and contemporary transformation.

Leonardo Porcelloni is a research fellow and adjunct professor of human geography at the University of Genova, with a Ph.D. from the School of Geography at the University of Nottingham. His research focusses on diachronic landscape analysis, heritage enhancement projects, and mobility studies, with a particular interest in slow tourism and contemporary pilgrimage. He is appointed as expert evaluator for the European Institute of Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme.

List of Acronyms

Jean-Pierre Lozato-Giotart, Preface

Introduction: Bridging Historical Mobilities and Cultural Routes

Historiographical Perspectives from Ancient to 21st Century Mobilities

  • The Enduring Fascination with Roman Roads
  • From the Origins of Medieval Roads
  • «Francesche», «Romee», and «Francigene» Ways: Early Rediscoveries
  • The Proliferation of Local Studies from the Mid-20th Century
  • The Consolidation of Road Studies and Their Epistemological Framework
  • “Route Archaeology”: the Material Approach to Mobility
  • Current Perspectives and Proliferation of Studies
  • Final Considerations: An Open Debate over the Francigena’s Identity

Methodologies and Strategies for Historical and Contemporary Mobilities

  • Interregional Perspectives: A Comparative Analysis of Two Case Studies
  • The Geo-Historical Documentation
  • Expanding Heritage Boundaries: Towards an Inclusive Approach
  • GIS Applications for Heritage Mapping and Spatial Dynamics
  • Examining and Understanding Contemporary Slow Mobilities

Defi ning the Via Francigena: Historical Evolution and Conceptual Framework

  • Sacred Mobility, Cultural Exchange, and the Braided Structure
  • The «francisca» Adjectival Value and Its Linguistic Evolution
  • Instability, Spatiality, and Hierarchies in Medieval Route Networks
  • Hospitality Infrastructure: The Core of Medieval Mobility
  • The Medieval Via Francigena and the Modern Strada Regia Romana
  • Continuity and Change in the Via Francigena’s Legacy
  • From Multipolar Mobilities to Cultural Route

Heritage and Spatial Analysis across Medieval and Contemporary Mobilities: Insights from Comparative Case Studies

  • Exploring Mobilities Along the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine Axis (CS1)
  • A Comparative Perspective on Medieval and Contemporary Mobilities: Connecting Heritage and Routes (CS1)
  • Exploring Mobilities along the Tuscan and Lazio Hilly Corridors (CS2)
  • A Comparative Perspective on Medieval and Contemporary Mobilities: Connecting Heritage and Routes (CS2)

Mobilities in European Pilgrimage and Cultural Routes: Measuring Movement, Experiencing Place

  • Patterns and Trends through Quantitative Insights
  • Experiencing Pilgrimage: An Itinerant Ethnography
  • Cultural Routes, Pilgrimage, and the Human Impulse for Mobility

Geographies of Movement: Connecting Cultural Routes and Heritage in Past and Present Mobilities

Acknowledgements

Bibliographic References

Contributors: Jean-Pierre Lozato-Giotart

Serie: Geostoria del territorio

Subjects: Historical Geography - Social and Demographic History - Urban and Landscape History

Level: Scholarly Research

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