Aug. 20 – Because of all the pilgrims who went from Canterbury to Rome, the Via Francigena is today more than a mere path, it has become an institutionalized piece of history, testifying to the thousands of people who crossed it during the Middle Ages. In order to be free of their sins, pilgrims had to make the trip to Christianity’s most significant spots, with daily walks of 20-25 kilometers. These locations included Rome, Santiago de Compostela and Jerusalem. To celebrate this cultural heritage, a series of international events are taking place in the original starting point of each path: Canterbury. The scheduled festivals include the Herne Bay Festival, on until Sunday, which includes theater and street shows, live music, orchestras… All are part of the Via Francigena Collective Project, whose artistic director is Sandro Polci. From today until Aug. 26, Canterbury will also host the “Canterbury Cricket Week,” officially acknowledged as the world’s oldest cricket festival, tied to the Via Francigena thanks to a number of promotional activities taking place in the same area. Another related event will be the Festival of the Lands Without Borders, held in Les Fourgs, in France. The latter is a market festival that offers typical products produced on the French-Swiss border, with 60 exhibitors and a series of related events.
