A 20-day trip in 21 stages, from Trapani to Gaeta, following the itinerary
Italian of the Route of Aeneas, the mythical journey of the Trojan hero sung by Virgil certified new cultural itinerary of the Council of Europe. This is the 2022 edition of the Cruise of Values which, departing from Trapani on August 6th, with a sailing boat went up the coasts of Calabria, Basilicata and Campania to land in Gaeta on August 27, travelling along a stretch of sea and coast of extraordinary cultural and archaeological importance, inextricably linked to the journey recounted in Virgil's Aeneid.
The project, created by the Rotta di Enea Association in collaboration with Vela Insieme,
Slowfood, Campi Flegrei Hoteliers Association, Campi Flegrei Active and Lega Navale
Italian, was born to promote knowledge of the Italian cultural heritage, the love for the
Mediterranean and invite you to enjoy slow tourism.
“Now that the Aeneas Route has obtained recognition from the Council of Europe on a par with itineraries such as the Camino de Santiago and the Via Francigena – declared the President of the Association, Giovanni Cafiero – we want to promote cultural tourism that can be enjoyed throughout the seasons because it is based on the valorization of the culture of the sea, on the historical-archaeological heritage, on the food and wine and musical traditions, resources of which the Aeneas Route is very rich”.
THE ITINERARY OF THE CRUISE OF VALUES
The vessel with 20 people on board left Trapani on August 6, a place linked
particularly the story of Aeneas who returns there twice, the first to bury his father Anchises and the second to organize games in his honor, continues his Sicilian journey up to Cape Milazzo and the strait between Scylla and Charybdis which not even Aeneas managed to cross, but which he will skirt after the second stop in Trapani.
The boat then goes up the coast of Calabria with stops at Capo Vaticano and Tropea. It then enters the Gulf of Policastro passing from the last strip of Calabria, to Basilicata with a stop at Maratea and then towards Campania sailing in front of Capo Palinuro which owes its name to the mythical helmsman of Aeneas who fell into the sea defeated by the god Sleep, of whom a cenotaph remains. Then stops at Capo Miseno (which takes its name from Aeneas' trumpeter), the Campanian islands, Pozzuoli with a visit by cruise passengers to the suggestive Rione Terra, the Campi Flegrei, where Aeneas with the help of the Cumaean Sibyl, descends through Lake Averno into the afterlife and finds his father who predicts the future greatness of Rome.
The journey ends on Saturday 27 August in Gaeta which, according to Virgil, took its name from that of Aeneas' nurse, Caieta, who was buried in this place.
THE ROUTE OF ENEA
The Route of Aeneas, the journey of the Trojan hero sung by Virgil from Troy to the coasts of Lazio,
through 5 countries, in 2021 it entered the "gotha" of itineraries certified by the Council of
Europe. The number of certified itineraries has thus increased to 45 (the first was the Camino de Santiago in 1987) that invite you to discover a heritage made up of archaeological, religious, artistic testimonies and sites of naturalistic value.
The Council of Europe certification is awarded to networks that promote shared European culture, history and memory. These routes must also correspond to some fundamental values promoted by the Council of Europe such as democracy, human rights, intercultural exchanges.
The itinerary, which crosses the Mediterranean landscapes, was promoted in 2018
by the Rotta di Enea Association, in collaboration with the Municipality of Edremit (Türkiye), with the
Lavinium Foundation (Italy) and with numerous international organizations and institutions.
Article published on 26 August 2022 - 13:51
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