L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2022 L'Italo-Americano F i n a l l y , y o u c a n t r a v e l t o Italy when and h o w y o u w a n t . C o v i d - 1 9 t i m e s s e e m t o b e o v e r , a t l e a s t when it comes to restric - t i o n s . A t t h e s a m e t i m e , things are not quite the way t h e y u s e d t o b e w h e n i t comes to tourism. Mind, traditional tourist trends are always there: our art cities, our sea, and our beautiful mountains are still t o p d e s t i n a t i o n s , b u t t h e pace at which we travel, and even the places we choose have changed a bit. It is, in the end, a change that was bound to happen and that perhaps would have gone ahead even without the pandemic, albeit more slow- ly. People, both Italians and foreigners, are looking for different experiences when t h e y t r a v e l a r o u n d t h e Belpaese: it is no longer a matter of what they see, real- ly, but of the memories they can make and of how the treasures of our country can be experienced at a personal and cultural level. Before Covid-19, tourism h a d b e c o m e a m o r d i e fuggi situation: you'd take a bite of the place, and then off you went to another. How can you do that somewhere as rich in beauty, art, and t r a d i t i o n s a s I t a l y ? N o w don't get me wrong: mass tourism is still here and it is g o i n g t o s t a y : d u r i n g t h e Easter holidays, which were blessed with relatively pleas- a n t w e a t h e r , w e s a w i t . Venice, Florence, Rome were packed and, to be honest, after two years of quiet, it was actually nice to see them like that: it screamed "it's over" and we all needed it. Yet, people have discov- ered new destinations and new ways to relax and truly enjoy Italy. For the past two summers, some friends of mine abandoned their usual high-end sea-sun-and-sand vacation for a week in a trul- lo in the Apulian countryside and another in a farm-hotel i n M a r e m m a ( T u s c a n y ) : both trips were characterized by peace and the opportuni- ty to understand and learn for real about the place they were. They went on holiday and they learned about the traditional ways of the places they visited. This fits into a real trend, one that even got its own ini- tiative, Scopri l'Italia che non Sapevi, "Discover the I t a l y y o u d i d n ' t k n o w , " a project part of the National Promotion Plan 2020, creat- ed by the Ministry for the Arts, Tourism and Cultural Activities to valorize our vil- lages, the beauty of our land- scapes, slow tourism, and active tourism. All regions have been working together to create a unified project that can bring tourists along very specific thematic lines – villages and landscapes of Italy, identity, style and life quality; slow tourism: arts, c u l t u r e a n d f o o d ; a c t i v e tourism: cycling, nautical sports, mountaineering and outdoor activities – which can be carried out across fol- lowing one organic itinerary. A n d w h i l e t h e p r o j e c t i s a c t i v e o n l y i n E m i l i a - R o m a g n a , U m b r i a , a n d Marche at the moment, its potential is immense in a country like ours. And, espe- cially, it is evident there is a huge market for it. In 2020, picking an off- the-track location, an alter- native destination or a dif- ferent style of vacation was almost compulsory, because we were all seeking seclusion from one another: it was ok to travel and be with your family – you weren't more likely to catch Covid-19 from people you lived with if you were holiday – but strangers w e r e a n o - n o . B e i n g i n a c r o w d e d p l a c e b e c a m e uncool, for all the right rea- sons. In 2021, we did have more freedom, but people, Italian and foreigners, had become fond of this new, slow, per- haps less glitzy but much more intimately satisfying way to travel, so the trend c o n t i n u e d . A s y o u w o u l d expect, the tourism industry d i d n ' t w a i t l o n g b e f o r e embracing this newly discov- ered love for tranquility and quality, so this year we find, for instance, more and more mainstream locations like art cities, developing food and wine cultural itineraries and activities. It's all about discovering Italy slowly and in an alter- native, sometimes more cre- ative way: in come new itin- e r a r i e s i n o u r a r t c i t i e s , urban explorations by bike and, perhaps more prepon- derantly, the rediscovery of active holidays, those passed trekking old mountain paths, or cycling in the countryside and long traditional histori- cal cammini, like the VIa Francigena. R u r a l t o u r i s m h a s a l s o become a thing, because how couldn't it, considering how b e a u t i f u l o u r h i l l s a r e ? Discovering small villages and little trafficked areas has the double advantage to be cheaper – at least for now – a n d h e l p a v o i d c r o w d s , which may remain a pretty s i g n i f i c a n t d r i v e f o r t h e tourism industry for quite some time still, even if the pandemic is on its way out. B u t r u r a l t o u r i s m i s a l s o ideal for those Italians who want to get deep into the his- tory and heritage of their country, as well as for for- eigners searching for a taste of Italian authenticity. How long will it stay this way? We d o n ' t k n o w b e c a u s e , o f course, the risk of turning it a l l i n t o a n o t h e r m a s s tourism trend in a bunch of years remains. And while many initiatives and projects are still at their embryonal stage this year, we can count on them being fully developed next, with m o r e r e g i o n s a n d c i t i e s embracing the new trends. T h e h o p e i s t h a t " b e i n g t r e n d y " w o n ' t t r a n s l a t e into mordi e fuggi again, and that enjoying a slower-paced and more personal, intimate approach to vacationing may last long. CHIARA D'ALESSIO Queues outside the Colosseum in Rome: with tourists back in the country, they may become nor- mal again (Photo: Angelo Cordeschi/Dreamstime) After Covid-19, Italy opens its doors to tourists, but something has changed ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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