The Italian Ministry of Tourism and the Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT – Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo) have launched a major national initiative called Antichi Cammini d’Italia (Ancient Paths of Italy).
The project sits within Italy’s broader recovery and investment framework under the EU’s Next Generation funding (PNRR), specifically linked to the Caput Mundi programme, which is designed to enhance cultural heritage, tourism infrastructure, and visitor distribution across the country.
The initiative aims to re-frame Italy’s historic pilgrimage and walking routes to highlight sustainable tourism. Rather than focusing solely on religious pilgrimage, the campaign positions these ancient routes as open, inclusive pathways for walkers, cultural travellers, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone interested in slow travel experiences that connect landscapes, heritage, and local communities.
The programme brings together five major historic routes that have long been part of Italy’s cultural and spiritual geography. These are the Via Francigena, the Romea Strata, the Via Romea Germanica, the Via di Francesco, and the Cammino di San Benedetto. Together, these form a network that spans mountains, rural valleys, historic towns, monasteries, and lesser-known regions that often sit outside mainstream tourist flows.
A key objective of the initiative is spreading the concentration of tourism. Italy, like many European destinations, has faced pressure from overcrowding in major cities and iconic sites. By promoting long-distance walking routes and distributed cultural itineraries, ENIT and the Ministry aim to shift visitor flows into smaller communities and rural areas. This approach is designed not only to reduce pressure on hotspots but also to extend tourism benefits more evenly across regions that are often bypassed by conventional itineraries.
Sustainability is another central pillar. The “slow tourism” model promoted through Antichi Cammini d’Italia encourages lower-impact travel styles such as walking, cycling, and extended stays. This aligns with broader European goals around sustainable mobility, environmental protection, and cultural preservation. The emphasis is on experience over volume: longer stays, deeper engagement with local culture, and reduced reliance on high-intensity, short-duration tourism.
A significant feature of the programme is its strong digital and technological layer. The initiative includes the mapping of more than 1,000 points of interest across the five routes. These include cultural landmarks, natural features, hospitality points, and heritage sites. In addition, smart signage systems are being deployed along sections of the routes, incorporating technologies such as Bluetooth beacons to assist navigation and provide contextual information to travellers.
This digital infrastructure is integrated into Italy’s national tourism platform, the Italia.it ecosystem, enabling users to access route information, planning tools, and interpretive content through mobile devices. The aim is to make historically complex and geographically dispersed walking routes more accessible to international and domestic visitors alike, including those who may not be experienced long-distance hikers.
Alongside infrastructure development, the initiative also includes international promotional activity. ENIT is targeting key overseas markets including the UK, Germany, France, Spain, the US, and parts of Latin America. This reflects a strategic focus on attracting visitors already familiar with cultural tourism, walking holidays, and heritage travel experiences, and who may be receptive to longer, multi-day itineraries.
The programme also introduces more accessible entry points into these routes through curated experiences. One example is a series of themed bus tours designed to allow visitors to experience selected sections of the walking routes without committing to full multi-day hikes. This hybrid model broadens the potential audience, making the initiative relevant not only to dedicated walkers but also to cultural tourists with limited time or mobility.
