Blog

It was 16th September. Civita Castellana is well worth a mass! With this spirit we ventured along the Via Francigena for a survey of the towns that are crossed by this historical path.

I remember when I was at the university and they began the first meetings for the re-establishment of the Via Francigena with the recovery of the tracks, the signs and the first communications.

I would never have believed that we would have come to see its birth and then witness its so rapid growth.

Via Francigena today is a true reality and is travelled every day by thousands of people - pilgrims. Many other paths have been born and many towns ask to have paths called Via Francigena, especially for the part of the stretch of road to the south that connects Rome with Brindisi from which pilgrims embarked for the Holy Land.

We went to find it to be able to discuss it following seeing a programme by the Viterbo Chamber of Commerce for the enhancement of their province.

Most beautiful!

We are always happy to go to the meetings of the Albano Laziale committee, we meet many interesting people but above all we learn from the data analysis of the central office of the plan. A few thoughts from the meeting of 14 September

A city that must transform its economy and its social structure, orientating itself more and more towards being a service centre for tourists. What kind of tourist? Certainly not the mass tourists linked to tour operators or organized associations. There is no receptivity but above all now only less than 20% rely on agencies and most of those who travel to towns choose a trip independently by going on the web.

Data on the progress of tourism in Europe and in Italy tell us that there are more and more independent tourists.

This meeting concerned the first conclusions after the meetings with the stakeholders and the first data collected in a few months of work.

It is a complex situation especially for the position of Albano Laziale that sees it as a funnel through which pass most of the mobility of all those who go from Rome to the Castelli Romani.

But the most surprising figure is that of the level of education of the residents. A surprisingly low figure that allows us to reflect on the actions needed to be taken. The risk is that the level of education of the tourist is so relatively high as to create a communication barrier. The risk is to appear more and more like the Italians told about in jokes abroad. 

It was 5th September in old Viterbo. The evening before thousands of people from all over the world had come to see the procession of Santa Rosa, so beautiful as to have been included in the UNESCO's intangible heritage.

The day after there we were with many workmen who in a short time cleaned streets, fountains and churches. A splendid city, loved by tourists but also by residents.

We took advantage of a photo shoot on the city and in a hidden wall we found one of the most beautiful phrases ever written:  'I don't want it to be easy but to be worthwhile' - there are poets in these walls!

A valley that is filled in the summer with the children of this land who have gone abroad but who want to maintain the link with their roots. In the squares you hear English, French and sometimes an ancient dialect.

A strange international mix that fascinates and surprises.

We presented the book on Settefrati and we will return to better understand how to collaborate to create bridges between the people we want to discover their roots but do not know how to do so.

A pleasant surprise to meet the director Cecilia Mastrantonio and all the museum staff during one of our photographic excursions. It is a little gem that has reconstructed the history of the battle of Cassino and life along the Gustav Line through the stories of those who lived there during that period.

It is a historical reconstruction that became a reconstruction of the life and homes of this area’s people, near Cassino, following the end of the war. There is research on the Italian migration, both domestic and abroad, which combined with our analyses. This encourages us to continue the efforts of creating bridges between people who have ties with Ciociaria and who want to contribute to local development.

Thanks for the visit and their stories. We'll be back soon ..

One of the greatest photographers of the Comino Valley, capable to trigger excitement with his shots and mastery in using digital technologies: this is Tonino Bernardelli. Tonino was the main character in one of the first tourist guides we produced, the one dedicated to his home, Settefrati. We simply could not miss his show.

Settefrati is a jewel of a village: on the border between Lazio and Abruzzo and on the Lazio side of the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise. A town that comes alive every year for the procession to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Canneto, which Tonino has documented with much emotion.

Almost 60,000 people pay homage to the sanctuary over 5 days, shortly after mid-August in a ceremony that has been repeated for centuries in the same manner, as  described already Father Breda’s stories of the early 800's.

The photographic exhibition is divided into 4 sections: one dedicated to the Valley, one to the 'tiles' of Villa Gallio that resume all the towns of the Val di Comino in the eighteenth century, one to emotions and one to our Guide Book of Settefrati.

Godmother of the exhibition was the great opera singer Chiara Taigi who sang some arias like 'Ave Maria' by Schubert, 'O mio babbino caro' by Puccini and a music from the film dedicated to San Francesco and Santa Chiara.

Chiara Taigi has not only acted, she has shown her affection to her friend Tonino and a rare human sensitivity towards the story of the characters of Settefrati and the Valle di Comino. Their friendship was palpable and a portrait of Chiara next to some flowers was right in the middle of the section dedicated to emotions.

Tonino, who is generally a superb host and presenter of important events, had a voice broken by the emotions that can be found in the title of the exhibition: "This is my land".

Congratulations Tonino! Continue to be what you are and to be surrounded by your friends. Obviously, the evening was photographed by masters like Nando Potenti, Stefano Strani and Lauro Abruzzese, which is the reason we hid our camera and left the filming those who understand!