Itinerari culturali europei tra patrimonio e turismo culturale

European Cultural Routes: cultural heritage and tourism The European Cultural Routes programme was launched in 1987 with the recognition of the Pilgrim's Way to Santiago de Compostela, the first of the 45 routes that today have been recognised by the Council of Europe. The broad and wide-ranging themes represented, from linear paths that follow the traces of pilgrims or personalities who in various ways have characterised a part of the European territory, to networks of cities sharing a common subject, to intangible heritage, now constitute a defined and structured framework that enables dialogue on the relationship between heritage and cultural tourism. The decade-long experience I have gained in evaluating certified Cultural Route and applications for new proposals, now provides an opportunity to reflect on some significant aspects that were also reflected in the annual Forums organised on the subject by the European Institute of Cultural Routes. Aspects such as the balance between the demands of preserving heritage and the cultural landscape and the fruition of tourism are at the heart of the debate between managers and the scientific community, which is finding common and good practices that I would like to identify and discuss on this occasion, also in the light of the consequences of last year's pandemic crisis. Scientific committees and knowledge networks, created through the collaboration of research centres and universities, play a decisive role in the creation, monitoring and evaluation of cultural routes. The recently established University Network for Cultural Routes Studies is able to guarantee the large-scale multidisciplinary necessary for the increase and growth of the network of European Cultural Routes.