The nineteenth stop of our journey took place in Umbria, in Foligno, Province of Perugia. On the morning of January 11, 2025, we reached the Monastery of Sant’Anna and, in the afternoon, the Abbey of Santa Croce in Sassovivo.

The keyword defining this event was: Tradition.

The stop in Foligno was particularly significant as it not only marked the beginning of the third year of our journey through European Abbeys, which started in 2023, but was also the first destination visited after the opening of the Holy Doors and the official start of the Jubilee. The ethical and cultural pilgrimage of “In cammino” will conclude in December 2025, “arriving” in Rome precisely at the end of the Holy Year.

If 2023 was the first phase of “departure” and 2024 the phase of “voyaging”, this year represents the final phase of “arrival” that will guide our journey.

The Monastery of Sant’Anna is located in the heart of Foligno and is managed by the Franciscan Tertiary Sisters of the Blessed Angelina. It was founded in 1383 by Angelina dei Conti of Montegiove and Marsciano and remains a treasure trove of rare architectural beauty, housing remarkable frescoes and paintings. Until 1798, before the Napoleonic spoliations, the Madonna of Foligno by Raphael was kept here, and it recently returned for a temporary exhibition in its original location.

On the morning of Saturday, January 11, in the Conference Hall of the Monastery, our nineteenth event commenced with a conference titled: “Tradition and Innovation. History and Relevance of the Excellences of Umbrian Territory”.

The conference was chaired by Livia Pomodoro, holder of the UNESCO Chair “Food Systems for Sustainable Development and Social Inclusion” at the State University of Milan, and coordinated by Tonino Bettanini, Director of In cammino – Abbeys of Europe. Bettanini, after thanking the Municipality and the Pro Foligno organisation for their hospitality and the warm welcome extended to our team, explained: “The stops we organize generally follow a three-part structure, and this first section is dedicated to the territories and their excellence. As you know, the history of Abbeys is marked by inventions, discoveries, cultivation, and the movement of products closely related to the land. This knowledge, rooted in agriculture, speaks today more than ever of sustainability and circular economy…”.

The floor was then given to Lorenzo Schiarea, Councilor for Social Policies, Welfare, Public Housing, and International Cooperation, who also conveyed the greetings of Foligno’s Mayor, Stefano Zuccarini.

“I want to thank all of you and President Pomodoro for this wonderful initiative. – said Schiarea – Today’s conference is particularly significant, not only because it takes place in two symbolic locations of our city, but because In cammino leads us to rediscover those wonderful oases of reflection and peace that Abbeys represent. These sites have safeguarded European culture for centuries. Enhancing and promoting such complexes, as we will do this afternoon with Sassovivo, is of fundamental importance. We live in a historical period where, unfortunately, many of these structures and their histories are little known or entirely unknown to younger generations”.

Next to speak was Luca Radi, President of Pro Foligno, who also thanked President Pomodoro for choosing to stop in Umbria: “As Pro Foligno, we are particularly pleased with this meeting and its theme, as our main mission is the promotion of the city and its territory, especially through the preservation, transmission, and renewal of its traditions, from culinary and food traditions to historical and cultural heritage”.

The conference came to life with Claudio Serafini, Director of Organic Cities Network Europe.

“When we talk about tradition – Serafini emphasized – we must also talk about innovation. Professor Bettanini often reminds us that the Middle Ages were not only a time of stagnation but also of technology and technological renewal, albeit within a cultural framework different from today’s. This has been the meaning of ‘tradition’ for centuries in regions such as Umbria, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna… In 1991, the European Commission introduced regulations for quality and protected productions, and at the same time, established regulations for organic farming. The following year, in 1992, the Maastricht Treaty was signed… We can say that the early 1990s marked the beginning of what we can define as an innovation: the European legislator’s attempt to safeguard the authenticity of agricultural products strongly tied to a specific territory, to the people who live there, and to the traditional ‘way of doing it’. This is significant, considering that today in Europe there are about 3,500 protected designations, PDOs, and geographical indications… Italy, along with France, leads in this regard, as our country boasts over 880 quality food products, making up 25% of the entire European Union’s heritage, followed by France, Spain, Greece… Where does Umbria stand in this context? It is one of the top regions, if not the leading one, for extra virgin olive oil. Its PDO certification was established in 1998, and it covers the entire region rather than just a specific area, although there are subzones and distinctions within it. This has allowed Umbria to position itself at both national and European levels, not only through extra virgin olive oil but also through other certified products such as farro from Monteleone, lentils, the red potato of Colfiorito, Norcia ham…”.

Mauro Gramaccia, representative of the regional biodiversity conservation service for agricultural interest at “3A – Agricultural and Food Technological Park of Umbria”, based in Todi, addressed the topic: “Agrobiodiversity: A Treasure to Explore Between Tradition and Innovation”.

“Given that this conference highlights Umbrian excellence – Gramaccia explained – we must now define what these many forms of excellence are. Surely, they include historical and architectural landmarks, as well as food and wine traditions, which represent a significant part of the work carried out by the Technological Park.

Why do we consider these products ‘excellence’? What makes them stand out? In my opinion, excellence is based on three main factors: first, what is cultivated or raised; second, the territory, meaning the land where these activities take place, from fields to livestock farms; and finally, the market, which must be continuously developed… This requires an investment mindset that considers both tradition and innovation while focusing on market demands and consumer preferences… The first of these factors is the genetic resource heritage, the wealth of crop and livestock varieties that still persist in our region, which we can define as agrobiodiversity”.

In his speech on the value of tradition and innovation from a technological and scientific perspective, Professor Pierluigi Mingarelli, Director of the Laboratory of Experimental Sciences of Foligno and founder of the “Festa di Scienza e Filosofia – Festival of Science and Philosophy”, which began in 2011 and reached its 13th edition last year, discussed a project aimed at creating a dedicated association for the promotion and preservation of the Abbeys of Umbria and Marche. This initiative was modelled after the “Institute for the Promotion of Historic Abbeys of Tuscany”, based in Torrita di Siena. Unfortunately, the project “was put on hold after the preliminary meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic”.

Professor Chiara Biscarini, co-holder of the UNESCO Chair on Water Resources Management and Culture at the University for Foreigners of Perugia, elaborated on the topics covered by the Chair.

“I am trained as an engineer, specializing in hydraulic construction, but I believe I was invited to this conference because of my work with UNESCO Chairs, specifically in the fields of water and culture. So, while I am indeed an engineer, I have also ‘gotten my hands dirty’ with the humanities… The UNESCO Chair is based at the University of Perugia, which is perhaps better known for its language courses, though since the early 1980s, it has also had a dedicated department for water resource management from both a scientific and environmental perspective. Moreover, Umbria hosts the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme. Each year, this centre produces a report based on a key theme, compiling contributions from all agencies working on water-related issues, covering aspects from scientific studies to cultural and human impacts. Past themes have included Water and Work, Water and Hygiene… This year’s theme: Water and Peace. I find this theme particularly fitting when connected to Abbeys, which evoke a sense of reconciliation and inner peace. I also found the idea behind your journey very interesting, with its structure of departure, voyage, and arrival; it reminded me of the course of a river, from its source to its mouth. In reality, rivers often originate from a small trickle, gathering contributions from a much wider watershed. We tend to imagine a river as confined within its bed, but in truth, its waters come from a vast surrounding territory known as a drainage basin, where rainfall, glacial melt, and other sources all flow into the river. This is crucial from both a physical perspective, since an impact on a distant part of the land can still affect the river, and from a political-administrative perspective, as water and geophysical boundaries do not adhere to predefined borders or frontiers”.

The conference was concluded with a speech by Professor Ivo Picchiarelli, a historian of Umbrian folk traditions.

“The two saints who have significantly shaped the first and second millennia of Western history are Saint Benedict of Norcia and Saint Francis of Assisi, both from Umbria. It is to the former that we refer in particular, as civilization in Europe followed the spread of monastic communities based on the Benedictine Rule, which serves as both their foundation and synthesis. A rule centred on work, which distinguishes Western monasticism and gives our continent its deepest identity. Those who spoke before me have discussed in detail, and not by chance, the management of water. Well, the regulation of water is closely linked to the origins of Benedictine evangelization in Europe and the known world at the time. The ‘Miracle of the Recovered Billhook’ is at the heart of Saint Benedict’s Rule and represents the founding enclosure of Europe. The episode of the billhook is a very simple one, already depicted in the Cathedral of Norcia dedicated to the Saint. It tells of a Goth who came to request the monastic habit, and Benedict welcomed him with kindness. One day, the Saint gave him a billhook to clear a piece of land overgrown with brambles, intending to cultivate it as a vegetable garden. The land stretched right above the edge of the lake. The man worked vigorously, cutting through the dense thickets with all his strength when suddenly, the metal blade slipped off the handle and fell into the lake at a point where the water was so deep that retrieving it seemed impossible. Trembling with anxiety over the loss of the tool, the Goth ran to the monk Mauro, confessed what had happened, and asked to be punished for his mistake. Mauro quickly informed Benedict, who immediately went to the site, took the wooden handle from the Goth, and dipped it into the water. Instantly, the metal blade rose from the depths of the lake and reattached itself to the handle. The Saint then handed the tool back to the Goth, saying: ‘Work and do not be disheartened’. This is the culminating and symbolic moment in which the Saint evangelizes Europe, as he transforms a rough Goth from a nomad into a settler, from a shepherd into a farmer, from a pagan into a Christian”.

The conference session concluded with remarks from President Livia Pomodoro: “First of all, I would like to thank our speakers and all those who have followed this debate with such attentiveness and engagement… Today, we have heard a variety of different voices, all interesting and important, on tradition, innovation, and the systems for transmitting this very tradition, which must absolutely be safeguarded and preserved. This has led me to reflect on the reality in which we must all strive to be more actively present. We need to understand what our past has represented, both in its positive and negative aspects, because it is undoubtedly deeply connected to what our future will or could be… A future that we must look toward with confidence and hope, especially in relation to the positive aspects of what has been passed down to us, within a vastly different horizon from the present one, which is so sad and conflict-ridden… This journey through the Abbeys of Europe has been an extraordinary experience in every respect. But what I found most exciting was discovering so much interest and attention toward what we were doing… Perhaps we have not built anything concrete, but we have learned a great deal, and if we are able to share this knowledge with others, it will be highly beneficial for our future. Not for the present, which is so small and modest, but for a time to come, a time that belongs to the young and to those just beginning their journey in life… This, I believe, is the greatest merit of Europe’s Abbeys: the underlying, strong, and often unconscious idea of feeling like a community, of being able to build a new future in the name of tradition and humanity”.