The International Association Cultural Itinerary Way of the Holy Grail of Europe held the conference "Valencia, City of the Holy Grail" on 2 November at the Hotel Turia, closing the third block of activities for 2026 under its collaboration agreement with the Valencia City Council. The event, organized with the AIUTA (International Association of Universities of the Third Age) and attended by its president, Dr. François Vellas, presented translations of the association's materials into French, Italian, Portuguese, English, and Turkish. The programme also included a heritage route through the urban signage of the Holy Grail, l'Almoina and the cube of the Holy Grail, and a visit to the Chapel of the Holy Chalice of the Cathedral of Valencia.
The significance of the conference lies in its role as the culmination of a year-long effort to internationalize scientific and linguistic knowledge generated in Valencia around the Holy Grail. Earlier, on October 19 and 26, the association brought these multilingual materials to the Tourism classrooms of IES Benlliure, presenting them to students and teachers of training cycles for use in their own dissemination actions and in a tourist office managed by the students themselves. This transfer of knowledge to the next generation of tourism professionals signals a strategic investment in sustaining Valencia's heritage narrative beyond academic circles.
The broader collaboration agreement, signed on May 4, 2026, by the Councilor for Employment, Training and Entrepreneurship, José Vicente Gosálbez Payá, and the association's president, Dr. Ana Mafé García, provides for a municipal contribution of 30,000 euros by 2026. It promotes cultural and creative entrepreneurship through heritage associated with The Way of the Holy Grail and is structured in three blocks: the artistic creation of an official collection of stamps from the municipalities of the itinerary; the training of professionals who act as prescribers of the city, together with an International Academic Award to be announced before the end of the year at the Welcome Gala of the IV International Congress on Dissemination and Journalism The Way of the Holy Grail; and the scientific and linguistic internationalization that culminated in this day.
Participation figures underscore the initiative's reach. Between June and July, training workshops for tourist guides and businessmen drew more than a hundred attendees and accredited 38 professional guides with diplomas. The three modules for guides were taught at Nautalia Viajes and at Pangea The Travel Store, while meetings with businessmen were held on Jorge Juan Street and at the CLC Arte Gallery. The cycle ended on July 27 with the Tourist Guides Gala, where diplomas were awarded. Art also had its space: on May 20, the official presentation of the project at the Popular University of the Jardín de Ayora opened the artistic call for the CAR Programme, which a week later arrived at Pintasueños in Benimaclet, aiming to create the official collection of stamps for pilgrims' credentials. In total, the agreement has enabled more than thirty face-to-face, radio, and training informative sessions in Valencia in 2026.
The implications extend beyond local engagement. By confirming that the International Association now speaks French, English, Italian, Portuguese, and Turkish, the conference positions Valencia as a multilingual reference point for Holy Grail heritage. "With this conference, the knowledge that is born in Valencia about 'The Way of the Holy Grail', it can now be confirmed that the International Association speaks French, English, Italian, Portuguese and Turkish," said Dr. Ana Mafé García. She added that none of this would have been possible without the Department of Entrepreneurship of the Valencia City Council, which has understood that this heritage is also an opportunity for entrepreneurship, employment, and international projection for the city.
The association's work to show the world where the Holy Chalice is located—in the chapel of the Cathedral of Valencia—has been echoed in written and digital press, radio, and local television, and the message is crossing borders. The 2026 call for the International Academic Award "The Way of the Holy Grail," with a first economic prize, promotes doctoral and academic research on the Holy Grail and will culminate in a gala in 2027. For Valencia, the convergence of municipal funding, academic research, professional training, and multilingual outreach represents a model of cultural entrepreneurship that could strengthen the city's tourism profile and its claim as a European heritage destination.
