Via Sancti Martini Roanne Vichy

Labelled a European Cultural Itinerary, just like Santiago de Compostela, the Via Sancti Martini was inaugurated in 2016, to mark the 1700th anniversary of Saint Martin's birth. The 2500km route links Szombathély, Martin's birthplace in Hungary, to Tours, the French city where his tomb is located. A historic route, it passes through the key places in the life of Saint-Martin de Tours (316-397), a Roman legionnaire who became a religious figure and symbol of sharing. The Via Sancti Martini crosses Europe from east to west, or vice versa, over a distance of 2,500km. To reach France, from Hungary it passes through Slovenia and Italy. Crossing the Alps, it reaches Lyon. Then, heading for Tours via Montluçon, it crosses the Massif des Monts de la Madeleine, linking Roanne to Vichy. Walkers will discover a wide variety of landscapes: the Slovenian, Italian and French Alps, the Venetian lagoon, the Aosta Valley and the towns of Palvie, Ljubljana, Lyon, Candes-St-Martin... It takes about three and a half months to walk the entire route, but it is possible to do just a portion. It's not necessarily intended to be a pilgrimage route, but rather a place of responsibility and sharing. For Via Sancti Martini France, the promoter of the project, the aim of the trail is to promote sustainable and responsible ecotourism, and to be a place for exchange and sharing between passers-by and locals.