The 12th Edition of the Training Academy on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, this year dedicated to the theme of ‘Cooperation and Cultural Routes’, was held in Portugal from June 11th to June 13th (Torres Vedras, Arruda dos Vinhos and Vila Franca de Xira), and attended by Sara Ferrari, Vice Director of the Phoenicians’ Route – Cultural Route of the Council of Europe.
The event was organised by the European Institute of Cultural Routes (EICR) and the European Federation of Napoleonic Cities, carrier network of the Destination Napoleon (Cultural Route of the Council of Europe since 2015) and the European Federation Iter Vitis, carrier network of the Iter Vitis Route (Cultural Route of the Council of Europe since 2009) in cooperation with the Rota Histórica das Linhas de Torres, the Association of Portuguese Wine Municipalities (AMPV) and the Torres Vedras Municipality.
It was an intense three days of workshops, exchange of good practices, visits and experiences, attended by Council of Europe, national and regional authorities and representatives from the academic world. The event was also the occasion to present the Erasmus+ project “Next Routes”, which brings together the Phoenicians’ Route and 5 other certified Cultural Routes, as a model of best practice.
Dr Rui Gomes, new Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe and Director of the European Institute, affirmed: ‘There is no Programme without Routes. There are no Cultural Routes without Cooperation’.