On pilgrimage in the footsteps of Saint Marinus

Pedini Amati: "Fundamental agreement with the Diocese for the development of religious tourism"

The completion of the Walk of Saint Marinus, a project by the Ministry of Tourism carried out with the collaboration of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of the Territory, was presented this morning to their Excellencies the Captains Regent, in synergy with the Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro.

The Walk of Saint Marinus is an itinerary to be covered on foot or in some sections by bicycle, traced, well-kept and accessible which starts from Rimini and reaches our Republic, San Leo, Pennabilli and numerous towns in the San Marino and Montefeltro area known for their religious, historical, cultural, naturalistic and landscape value.

The project is part of the enhancement of the Republic of San Marino as a destination for pilgrims in search of territories characterized by their sacred value and in the development of the so-called "religious tourism" which according to recent statistics from the United Nations World Tourism Organization is among the most economically relevant tourism sectors, moving almost 400 million tourists every year around the world, for a market volume exceeding 18 billion dollars. The Municipalities and territories involved are also those of the "Territorial Tourist Table - The Lovely Places" which enhances the synergistic tourist promotion of neighboring territories and projects that also include wellness, nature trails and walks.

The Republic of San Marino has been considered a destination for pilgrimages and prayers for centuries, but a pre-planned itinerary had never been codified that would enhance the essence of a path to be traveled that crossed green areas, lead to the visit of Churches and Monasteries of absolute artistic value, of universally recognized museums and historic centers, palaces, monuments, works of art, landscapes with unparalleled views and breathtaking views.

The Walk of Saint Marinus in fact retraces the steps of the founding saint of the Republic, virtually starting from Arbe, the Saint's native land, where the first plaque was placed that celebrates and marks the Walk, but in concrete terms it develops starting from Rimini on a route of the total length of 80km to be divided into 4 stages. From the sea you go up through the current Municipalities of Santarcangelo di Romagna, Poggio Torriana and Verucchio until you enter the Republic of San Marino and climb Mount Titano from where you continue towards Sassofeltrio, San Leo and Maiolo to then reach Pennabilli, the bishopric of the diocese.

“The relationship of great collaboration with the San Marino-Montefeltro Diocese, which I would like to thank here - said Minister Federico Pedini Amati in his greeting speech - led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding and the establishment of a coordination table called to work not only on the itineraries and pilgrimages but on all those initiatives aimed at the knowledge and enhancement of the ecclesiastical heritage and the development of religious tourism, in full compliance with the protection of the heritage and the specific needs of the places of worship and of sacred rites, festivals and religious traditions. And just like in a pilgrimage - Pedini Amati continued - having achieved today's goal of inaugurating the Walk of Saint Marinus, we will pour our commitment into further and new projects, such as the interconnection of existing routes in the area, in addition to the Walk of Saint Marinus, the Walk of the Titano, the Walk of the Beato Amato, the Walk of the 5 Saints or the more famous Walk of Saint Francis; the creation of guides and digital portals that can be of help to tourist-pilgrims, assistance to accommodation facilities for adaptation to welcoming travelers and much more".

His Excellency the Bishop of San Marino and Montefeltro Andrea Turazzi, His Excellency the Bishop of Rimini Nicolò Anselmi, Minister Massimo Andrea Ugolini (Justice) and Minister Stefano Canti (Territory), the Ambassadors of Italy in San Marino Sergio Mercuri and of San Marino in the Vatican Alessandra Albertini, the Captains of the Municipalities, the Commanders of law enforcement and the mayors of the territories involved in the Walk of the Saint.

"This is a special day for our community" began in his greeting Bishop Andrea Turazzi who at the end of the meeting, together with the Minister of Tourism Federico Pedini Amati, "cut the ribbon" of the Walk of Saint Marinus in the churchyard of the Basilica. The inauguration ceremony continued with the presentation of maps, information material and religious initiatives related to the Walk of Saint Marinus.