Via Eurasia Route Updates

Developing and managing the route

The first stage of route development was completed in partnership with the EAVF, European Association of the Via Francigena, and concentrated on introducing European methods of route management to Turkey, in partnership with three municipalities – İnegöl, Eğirdir and Demre. This project ran from one year from Feb 2016 and resulted in:

  • waymarking, signposting and guidebooks and a film of parts of the route.
  • Introducing our Municipality partners (Eğirdir, Demre and İnegöl) to route management methods, holding exhibitions and meetings in the municipalities.
  • Producing a guide to making a cultural route
  • Producing a guide to conservation in Europe; negotiating conservation with the Culture and Tourism Ministry
  • Initial work on a website documenting the route

Since then, we have worked on the linking sections in Turkey and developed accommodation along the route. We now plan to work with Thessaloniki and other Balkan municipalities and NGO’s to revive the ancient Via Egnatia, which ran across the Balkans fron Dürres to İstanbul. This historical link will complete both an overland and a sea route linking Italy to Turkey.

In 2018, we intend on applying again to the Social Dialogue program to link up more sections of the route through Greece and Northern Turkey. To this end, we are building alliances with Municipalities in this area.