The HIKE project offered an exciting programme of activities on 12 – 15 September in Italian region of Puglia, involving over 100 participants in a series of walks, sport events, and cultural activities.
The event, organized by the European Association of the Via Francigena in collaboration with the Puglia Region and the partner municipalities, took place along the southern extension of the Via Francigena, a cultural route recognized in 1994 by the Council of Europe, connecting Canterbury to Rome and Santa Maria di Leuca.
For three days, walkers, institutions, journalists, bloggers, and associations joined in a shared experience, walking the stages between Bari and Monopoli, interspersed with cultural visits and sporting activities. These included a workshop on physical preparation for walks, a yoga class on the Mola di Bari seafront, visits to the Angioino Castle with Visit Mola di Bari, guided tours of the Pino Pascali Modern Art Foundation in Polignano, the underground air-raid shelters in Monopoli, and concluded with a catamaran experience offered by InfoPoint Monopoli aboard MyWave.
The initiative stems from the European Union’s desire to promote healthy lifestyles within the Erasmus Sport Programme, raising public awareness about the importance of mental well-being through outdoor activities, slow mobility, and enhancing local territories. Special attention was given to connecting with local communities and collecting data on the participants’ health, through blood pressure and plus tests and psycho-physical questionnaires.
Download photos and materials from the first HIKE weekend here
The HIKE project returns to Puglia on 27 – 29 September to continue the journey along the Southern Via Francigena from Torre Canne to Brindisi, before heading to Greece in October along the Via Egnatia with Paths of Greece, and to Turkey in November along the Route of Tolerance with the Culture Routes Society. Three international partners and three historic routes thus come together for a single goal: to promote healthy lifestyles while strengthening the connection between people, environment, and culture.
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[Credits: EAVF – www.viefrancigene.org]