Tourism resumes fron outdoors
A walker’s passport. To be filled with stamps and visas, just like a common travel document, with the added possibility of georeferencing and being followed remotely, in case of need. A proof that attests the slow, green and aware journey, capable of capturing the soul of the places. Which certifies the “out of common places” – in every sense – visited, with breathtaking views of the sea and the mountains. A document that recalls the passage in the woods and villages, on dirt roads, alleys perfumed with cuisine, shaded paths and sunny headlands. The intention of this symbolic object is contained in the proposal for the restart of tourism, so put to the test by the pandemic and eager to start again, called “Kalabria coast to coast”. A safe restart, in the name of the outdoors and slow rhythms. The invitation of the Kalabria Trekking association really finds fertile ground at the end of the second winter of restrictions and breaks into the hearts of families, couples and lone travelers. Lorenzo Boseggia, one of the founders of the association that initially had five friends passionate about walks and territory, and today has one hundred and ten, speaks of the boom in bookings in just over a month from its launch. They are all determined not to be discouraged by repeated lockdowns, convinced of the possibility of starting again safely, and bearers of a sign of hope for the entire sector.
“Kalabria coast to coast” takes on a double value at this time: not only the discovery of a “virgin” territory, but also the possible restart after a severe period of restrictions due to the pandemic. When and how did the idea for the route come about?Kalabria CtC is the flagship of Kalabria Trekking. During the first season of the pandemic, we imagined how to expand our proposals. When the general condition allowed it, at the end of July 2020, we started promoting the route and by the end of September more than 500 people had walked on our paths. An unexpected number, which gave us the incentive to continue working with the widespread hospitality network and to strengthen contacts with individual local realities, which are the attractive force of this project. The choice of the name for the path, in addition to locating it geographically in one of the narrowest points that connects the two coasts of southern Italy, underlines the indissoluble bond with the association born 8 years ago and recalls the roots of this land that was of the Greeks, the “Kalavrìa”, as it is still called in some Hellen-speaking areas, where the Greek language survives.Your proposal for a slower pace of tourism seems to have received the lesson that the pandemic has given to the world. What does it offer to walkers, or tourists, if you prefer?We have not changed our way of walking, of looking at the territory, of noticing the beauty and values that make it unique. It was the eyes of the world on us that changed. The “exploded” bookings left us surprised, but happy of course. We hope it can be the sign of a real turnaround and a desire to live and get to know the places in a more authentic way, making tourism and the life of the territories more sustainable, and going beyond stereotypes.What makes the places involved in the “Kalabria coast to coast” itinerary unique?I also look at them with the eye of the traveler, on the one hand, because I come from Sirmione, and it is there that I trained as a nature guide between Lake Garda and the Dolomites since I was a teenager; but also with the eyes of a local, because I have been living for work in Calabria for twenty-five years now. I can say that they are places where time seems to have stopped. You breathe at a different speed and depth. People know you the day before, and the following day they welcome you into their home offering you lemons and aubergines from the garden. They give you an appointment, and around that event they organize their day as if they had signed a contract. In these places you are a guest, and not a tourist. You have a face, a voice, you are not a number.What are the stages of the itinerary?The route combines two symbolic places of Calabrian beauty, which are Pizzo on the Costa degli Dei, on the Tyrrhenian Sea, and Soverato on the Costa degli Aranci, or on the Ionian Sea. In the middle, cutting through the pre Serre, you pass through the villages of Petrizzi, San Vito and Monterosso Calabro, with a stop also in the natural oasis of Lake Angitola. This is the main route, entirely traced and geolocated. But as an association we are constantly busy on the regional territory, discovering unexpected paths, I mention for example the one that leads to the discovery of Pietra Cappa, in Locride, where the largest monolith in Europe suddenly appears in the woods of giant stone, which rises from the depths of the earth … just one of the thousand treasures that Calabria holds.Your words reveal a great love for this land, which you also confessed to us not to be yours. What animates this feeling and therefore the “Kalabria Trekking” association?Reading the surprise on the face of our guests is for us on the one hand the most beautiful result, on the other still a cause of bitterness, which spurs us to continue promoting our itineraries. Because we touch firsthand the many prejudices that obscure the real beauty of certain places, of a certain way of traveling, seeing and living this region, whose critical issues are not absolute, as they are not everywhere else. When the walkers complete their journey and express the desire to return as soon as possible …, that’s it: our mission is accomplished!Not everyone is a lover of adventure, but the fact remains that anyone can appreciate the idea of a nature trail with the right comforts. Do you have more travel solutions, right?Sure! There are two solutions: the first is in total autonomy, which is more suitable for those who love to travel alone. What we offer, as mentioned, is the entirely traced and signposted route, the georeferencing that makes it safe and suitable even for female travelers, who have been numerous in the past. We also offer an agreement with the structures, which includes B&B, agritourism, widespread hospitality. For those, on the other hand, who want a holiday in nature, without sacrificing comfort, we have established partnerships with consultants and travel agencies in the area, who take care of everything, pampering the traveler in every detail: from shuttle transport from the airport to reception in the structure, luggage transport, guide on the routes, organization of free time.Let’s go back to the passport, to close the halfway point of this journey: why the walker’s passport?It is an opportunity to collect the soul of the places visited in a symbol and keep it. In each of the stages, a real interlocutor, who can be the manager of a facility, an employee of the Municipality, the owner of a restaurant, affixes the “stamp” of the place: the Seahorse for the well-known Baia dell’Ippocampo in Soverato; the “menzarola”, an ancient unit of measurement and symbol of the peasant village, engraved in the square of Petrizzi; the precious facade of the Church in San Vito; the ruins of the Church of the Santissima Addolorata, which survived the earthquake of 1781 in Monterosso Calabro; the Castle of Gioacchino Murat in Pizzo.Will the walker’s passport be enough to take possession of the soul of the places visited? Discover it by traveling! Have a good walk …
