May 30, a milestone for the contest #IlFuturoNelleNostreRadici

On Saturday 30 May we published the video number 50 on YouTube in our series dedicated to the contest #IlFuturoNelleNostreRadici. In recent months the interest has grown exponentially and today it has become an international contest with 70 stories, 55 towns and 13 regions actively involved.
In this process, we have collaborated with universities, regional development agencies and tour operators.
 
Why did we start?
We wanted to cheer up the spirits of people, small businesses during the period of the coronavirus emergency, starting from the promotion of our territories with stories of those who live or have lived there.
But let's retrace how we reached this goal.
It all started with a strategic reflection and we followed an intuition: we would have been inside our homes for a long time and we would have felt the need to have emotional anchors so as not to go crazy.
What's better than your roots, the basis of your life, to find serenity?
At this point we asked you to write a first-person story about a town. We started with friends and everything changed thanks to Marzia who sent her story on the recipe of the Virtu Teramane and told us:
'Thanks for letting me spend a nice afternoon thinking about beautiful things.'
So we started thinking about spreading positivity and another story came that changed the course of our journey again. Simone told of his childhood in Vinchiaturo and the post had the effect of bringing together a community. It has been read not only in Italian but also in English by all the Vinchiaturo diaspora that over the years had emigrated leaving the town in search of fortune.
At this point we started to get serious and we structured the contest in its full version: an acknowledgment to the author and a prize to the town that inspired the story.
The towns that have 'inspired' stories to date are: Aci Sant'Antonio, Agrigento, Catania, Cinisi, Menfi, Mussomeli, Noto, Pantelleria, Porto Empedocle, Sciacca, Scordia and Zafferana Etnea (Sicily), Grotteria and Vibo Valentia (Calabria ), Castel di Ieri, Civitella Alfedena, Ortona dei Marsi, Sante Marie and Teramo (Abruzzo), Cartoceto, Gradara and Montecarotto (Marche), Danta di Candore, Padua and Pove del Grappa (Veneto), Albano Laziale, Anagni, Arce, Canepina, Ceccano, Colleferro, Isola Liri, Magliano Sabina, Manziana, Paliano, Ponza, Torre Cajetani, Terracina, Segni, Sermoneta and Rocca Priora (Lazio), Sepino and Vinchiaturo (Molise), Pienza, Pitigliano, Livorno and Sorano (Tuscany) , Bergamo (Lombardy), Castellammare di Stabia, Morcone, Naples and Sassinoro (Campania), Genoa (Liguria), Polignano a Mare (Puglia), Matera (Basilicata).
And the thing that fills us with joy is that the project has also attracted international attention.
Within the campaign, stories came from Italians abroad, and from emigrants who shared with us in their language their memories of Italy in their hearts.
We are all one big family.
The winners will be divided into 4 categories and there will also be a prize for photography.
The final structure was born after we realized that the article most loved by readers was the ironic / amusing one that Nicoletta had written to us about the town of Segni. So we defined 4 categories:
 
1) FUN STORY
Example: https://discoverplaces.travel/en/segni-between-an-incomprehensible-language-an-overabundant-nature-and-an-overflowing-history/
2) HISTORY OF FOOD (also recipe) OR WINE LINKED TO A PLACE
Example: https://discoverplaces.travel/en/history-and-recipe-of-le-virtu-the-traditional-dish-of-teramo-on-may-1st/
3) TRADITIONS
Example: https://discoverplaces.travel/en/stories-of-ponza-and-the-fishermen-silverio-the-patalan/
4) MEMORY
Example: https://discoverplaces.travel/en/memories-and-scents-of-vinchiaturo-in-the-mornings-of-august/
 
How to participate?
Free your mind and think positively. Then write a first-person story that also takes in a town. The story must be a maximum of two pages long. Then send it with your name, email and photos to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.