(ANS - Colle Don Bosco) – Yesterday’s press conference announced the guidelines to be followed in the places of Don Bosco on the occasion of the bicentenary of his birth:  to work together, recreating the atmosphere in which Don Bosco and his early followers lived and worked, and to welcome young people and visitors with traditional local hospitality.

In the words of Fr Egidio Deiana, Rector of the Basilica of St. John Bosco in Castelnuovo d'Asti:  "A decision was taken to consider the places of Don Bosco in a wider sense. In addition to the usual place like Colle Don Bosco, Chieri and Turin, there is the whole Monferrato area, which Don Bosco frequently visited with his boys. From here came many of the Salesian pioneers, men like John Cagliero, Louis Lasagna, Philip Rinaldi and Peter Ricaldone ... ".

A major role will be played by the civic and social organizations in the area, and in particular by a consortium called Monferrato Domanda Offerta. The Salesians have already collaborated with them in 2010 for the exhibition of the Shroud and they continue to cooperate now as they prepare for the Bicentenary.

Various initiatives were announced in yesterday’s press conference to announce "The Holy Year of Don Bosco."  There is a blog at www.monferrato.org with information on the range of accommodation, the culture and landscape of the area, together with the events and opportunities it offers.

The highlight will certainly be the autumn walks. Thanks to a map produced by the consortium, pilgrims will be able to retrace the walks that the saint did with his boys in 1861 and 1862. The first of these is slightly more than sixty Km and the second one forty km. The walks meander on secondary roads and can be done by everyone. In addition, there will be students to act as guides for the walks and in all places associated with Don Bosco, and to bring alive again the birth of the Salesian Spirit.

Other initiatives consist of a bilingual brochure - in Italian and English - which, in addition to the map with the two paths , will also contain a lot more information and news about what to visit; and a Don Bosco Map to help pilgrims. These can be downloaded directly from the blog of the Monferrato Domanda Offertaconsortium.

All this is being done to offer the best possible service to the thousands of tourists and pilgrims who will come from all over the world, starting next August.

Published on 04/06/2014