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Itinerario Culturale del Consiglio d’Europa
La Route des Phéniciens - Itinéraire Culturel du Conseil de l’Europe
The Phoenicians’ Route - Cultural Route of the Council of Europe
La Ruta de los Fenicios - Itinerario Cultural del Consejo de Europa
A Rota dos Fenícios – Itinerário Cultural do Conselho da Europa
Ο Δρόμος των Φοινίκων – Πολιτιστική Διαδρομή του Συμβουλίου της Ευρώπης
‫ طريق ثقافي للمجلس األوروبي‬: ‫طريق الفينيقيين‬
Recognized as theme in 1994, mention of Cultural Route in 2007,
certificated as network in 2009 and renouved in 2013 by the Council of Europe
"The Phoenicians' Route" is a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe based on intercultural
dialogue in the Mediterranean. In 2011 was founded the International Confederation that today is
composed of 14 national and thematic networks from 12 Mediterranean Countries.
The exploitation of the heritage of each participating site constitutes the aim of the Route. This final
goal can be achieved only if towns, partners and institutions cooperate to explore new paths through
the relationship between man and his surrounding natural and cultural heritage as well as through
pedagogical and touristic models meeting today’s needs of culture sharing.
The cultural heritage inherited by Phoenicians and Punics is remarkable, both from the
archaeological importance as well as from the discoveries they handed down to us: let’s mention, for
example the alphabet and the astronomy, the navigation techniques. However, let’s consider how,
after 3000 years, Phoenicians still represent a model for their ability of adaptation, for their craving for
knowledge and exchange with those populations then living by the Mediterranean shores,
cooperating with each other. Their towns were ports of call along a complete Mediterranean journey,
where objects, knowledges and experiences were exchanged.
In order to tell about all this, the Phoenicians’ Route is to be considered a Route of knowledge as well
as of experience. It suggests travels for study, leisure or culture sharing among Mediterranean peoples
and countries, which today act as conveyors of all their past civilizations, and so demonstrating how
the past is a valuable tool to work out our future
So the «Phoenicians’ Route» is the network of the great nautical courses which Phoenicians used since
the XII century B.C. as the main trade and cultural lines of communication in the Mediterranean
Sea. Through these routes the Phoenicians gave rise to a great civilization contributing to the creation
of a Mediterranean cultural koine` («community»). These routes became an integral and basic part of
the Mediterranean culture. Nowadays these routes symbolize the intercultural model on which a
Mediterranean Cultural Route of the Council of Europe Plan, is based. This route passes through
many countries of 3 continents and through over 100 towns of Phoenician origin. This site will allow
you to discover the Mediterranean wealth and complexity.
"The Phoenicians' Route" is also proposed as an open workshop on the issues of exploitation of
cultural and natural heritage and local development methodologies starting from the heritage of a
territory, following logical glocal.
So many actions of "The Phoenicians’ Route" have become experiments useful to the entire sector of
cultural routes. Starting with his governance, today the Cultural Route is managed by an International
Confederation consists of 14 national and thematic networks from 12 Mediterranean Countries.
Each regional network develops its path and has autonomy. While the networks cross-cutting issues,
Coordination Local Agenda 21, Earth-European Alliance for Responsible Tourism and OTIE Tourism Observatory of European Islands (Chambers of Commerce), operate on the respective
fields proposing actions system useful for the areas concerned and to the paths.
Thus was born the work of analyzing and studying impacts on various locations of the route, in order
to establish the indicators of sustainability. When completed this study we can propose the
application to the paths and territories. In this way, the Phoenicians' Route will become one of the
routes leading on sustainability.
But one of the strengths of the Route are the methods applied.
Following the bottom-up approach we have developed systems of local planning interventions that are
integrated with the educational aspect of the route.
Were so born Centers of Heritage Pedagogy.
Meeting point of the local community, local stakeholders, schools, the voluntary sector, local
authorities, following the formula of the Development Forum.
But at the same time are the meeting places between the local community and visitors, both
individually and through intermediaries (tour operators).
In many cases, these forums have resulted in local projects of excellence in product quality of an area.
So even it are Visitor Centers of cultural and natural heritage, tangible and intangible heritage of an
area. Places where the visitor learns the stories of a territory and go to their discovery with the help of
young people and guides.
In these locations we apply the Heritage Pedagogy and interpretative communication in a process of
training and guidance for young people and professionals (Life Long Learning). This also allows the
creation of innovative jobs especially for young people.
But the cultural heritage that unites the Mediterranean peoples also allows us to work for the
integration of migrants arriving in Europe from the Mediterranean countries.
The centers that arise along La Route collaborate with each other, make joint training and they
propose in a unified way to tour operators.
But communication and promotion of the area to be understood in the dual sense of internal
communication to the territory and the territory itself to the outside.
In this respect we mention two examples of activities of the Phoenicians’ Route.
The first is the Master Plan that we have just started with the collaboration of some regions. It is a tool
for strategic planning of the route that will be completed soon and will become the operative
instrument for implementation.
The regions and national governments who want to develop in their territories the Phoenicians Route
and its methods can follow the Master Plan adapting it to their local needs and making sure where to
find the necessary resources.
Inside the Master Plan have placed even operational networks, such as the Network of Museums of
the Sea, Archaeological and Cultural and the network of archaeological sites that tell the PhoenicianPunic civilization and other civilizations connected. Also in this case we do joint training activities
between the operators of the sites and museums as well as the tour guides along the chosen route.
A very important segment of our communication is the internet of course.
We are completing a communication plan which includes in addition to our corporate website
www.rottadeifenici.eu (in various languages) www.blogdeifenici.it the blog, an instrument of dialogue
between the networks and the countries which aims to create a network of contacts around the
Mediterranean, to promote all cultural activities that take place in the basin, other blogs related to
specific tasks (for example, is already on the blog http://www.duale.altervista.org/ that will tell us
about the trip on a sailing boat Alberto Rudi long phoenician routes between Spain, Italy and
Tunisia on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Phoenicians’ Route). Finally, in
collaboration with the University IULM in Milan we propose website www.rottadeifenici.iulm.it
for those activities more specifically archaeological and cultural.
Of course, this communication network via the Internet connects with communication portals of
various countries who work with us as a webzine, thematic portals (for example
www.movimentolento.eu ) and other.
In particular, we focus on the blog, where we can give a very easy communication, in many languages,
to tell people and places of the Phoenicians Route and show its complexity. Of course, the messages
have proposed an ethical and educational as well as tourism. Although it has been recently launched
its visibility has increased very rapidly. Our engineers are developing a hypothesis up to 400,000
contacts per year for 2013. In this way we aim to million hits in 2014, when we celebrate the twenty
years since the first application of the Phoenicians’ Route.
I conclude with communication in the sense of interculturality of the Phoenicians’ Route.
Even the General Assembly of the network which is celebrated every year is an important opportunity
for communication. For this reason it is called Euro-Mediterranean Dialogue on the Phoenicians
Route. In April there was the seventh edition in Pula, Sardinia, with the participation of delegations
from 12 countries. On this occasion, were discussed and decided the strategies and programs of the
period, which I presented before.
Already in 2008 the Charter of Ajaccio 5 +5 Mediterranean countries expressly mentioned the
Phoenicians' Route as a model for development of the Mediterranean. For our Confederation is a
definite commitment in which we strongly believe and are ready to cooperate with any institution
intends to work towards a Mediterranean of peace, development, dialogue on the trail of the ancient
civilizations that have made it the center of the ancient world.