From 11 to 13 June 2025, the 12th Training Academy on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe was held in Torres Vedras, Portugal, a member of the European Federation of Napoleonic Cities – Destination Napoleon. Organised by the European Institute of Cultural Routes – Council of Europe, in collaboration with Destination Napoleon, Iter Vitis and local partners, the Training Academy provided a platform to explore cooperation at all levels: thematic, territorial, institutional, and human.
The event brought together representatives from certified Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe to address this year’s theme: “Cooperation and Cultural Routes.” Over three days, participants engaged in workshops, site visits, and thematic sessions across three locations: Torres Vedras, Arruda dos Vinhos, and Vila Franca de Xira. The programme demonstrated how Cultural Routes are evolving beyond isolated initiatives into interconnected networks shaping policy dialogue, project development, academic research, and cultural diplomacy.
Discussions centred on emerging priorities shared across Cultural Routes, including:
- environmental sustainability and climate resilience
- creative tourism and youth engagement
- digital storytelling and innovation
- local food and wine culture
- cultural heritage as a tool for urban regeneration
These themes represent common ground for joint actions and long-term partnerships across the Cultural Routes programme.
Cooperation is people: a human-centred academy
Beyond institutional exchanges, the Training Academy stood out for its strong sense of community. The informal dialogues over coffee, wine, and shared visits were as important as the formal sessions. These human connections are the foundation for trust, collaboration, and long-term engagement between Cultural Routes.
For Destination Napoleon, the Training Academy reaffirmed the relevance of cross-route collaboration as both a strategy and a value. As a co-organiser and MED-Routes partner, we are committed to extending this cooperative spirit into future initiatives, linking heritage, innovation, and sustainability across Europe.
MED-routes: testing sustainable tourism in practice
On 13 June in Vila Franca de Xira, a dedicated session explored the MED-Routes Interreg Euro-MED Project. The roundtable titled “Challenges and Opportunities for Cultural Routes” highlighted the collaborative work of Destination Napoleon and the European Route of Ceramics, two of the project’s four participating Cultural Routes.
Benedetta Diamanti (European Route of Ceramics) presented the MED-Routes methodology and outcomes, including the development of eco-itineraries designed to support low-impact tourism rooted in local heritage. These itineraries were co-created with local stakeholders using a shared set of sustainability criteria, as Júlia Reis (Municipality of Vila Franca de Xira) explained. They developed and implemented such itineraries in Vila Franca de Xira as part of the Rota Histórica das Linhas de Torres, member of Destination Napoleon. Participants had in the afternoon the opportunity to test them firsthand and provide feedback. Denise de Roux (Destination Napoleon) closed the session by stressing the importance of ensuring the project’s methodology can be replicated by other Cultural Routes well beyond the project’s official timeline.
The session confirmed that MED-Routes is not only a cooperation project, but a blueprint for how Cultural Routes can develop joint solutions to shared sustainability goals, while amplifying their local impact.
Acknowledgements
This year’s Academy would not have been possible without the contributions and hospitality of:
- the Municipalities of Torres Vedras, Arruda dos Vinhos, and Vila Franca de Xira
- the Association of Portuguese Wine Municipalities (AMPV)
- the Rota Histórica das Linhas de Torres
- the Portuguese Ministry of Culture and the Portuguese Institute for Cultural Heritage
- the Historic Cafés Route
- the University of Lisbon and other academic partners
- and the representatives of the Cultural Routes, who engaged actively throughout all three days
We extend heartfelt thanks to all speakers and participants from over 15 countries, whose professionalism and generosity gave life to this Training Academy. And we look forward to see you all in Pécs, Hungary, for the next one organised by the Roman Emperors and Danube Wine Route!
