L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 L'Italo-Americano I t s e e m s a n e s t a b - l i s h e d t r e n d , e s p e - cially after the pan- demic: the more we progress from a sci- e n t i f i c a n d t e c h n o l o g i c a l point of view, the more we yearn for living simply. We all read about young up-and- coming professionals leaving the city during the pandemic and relocating - laptop and the opportunity to work from home in hand - somewhere beautiful and rural. Going back to one's roots and living as your grandpar- ents did - but with a high- speed internet connection, of course. A n d t h e n , t h e r e i s o u r renewed wish - alas, better say necessity - to protect and care for the environment, w h i c h m a d e u s a l l m o r e aware of the importance of sustainability, and led us to develop a "greener" con- science: in this case again, the idea of getting closer to nature and embracing a way of life more in tune with its r h y t h m s h a s b e c o m e t h e objective of many. I n t h e p a s t c o u p l e o f years, the United Nations World Tourism Organi- zation (UNWTO) has com- piled a list of villages around the world where a perfect mix of rurality, tradition, and innovation meet to demon- strate that - yes! - we can value the past and keep it alive while enjoying the best the modern age can give us. T h e i n i t i a t i v e , k n o w n a s Best Tourism Villages, s u p p o r t s U N W T O ' s m a i n g o a l , t h e p r o m o t i o n o f responsible and sustainable tourism in every corner of the world. T o b e c o m e p a r t o f t h e UNWTO list, villages must be able to bring together the effort to maintain their cul- tural and culinary heritage alive with a clear commit- ment to innovation and sus- tainability: feet well rooted in a solid past, but eyes set t o w a r d s t h e f u t u r e . T h e interesting thing for us is that, as presented on the offi- c i a l w e b s i t e o f I t a l i a n t o u r i s m , w w w . i t a l i a . i t , some of our prettiest ham- lets made it into the list. It all started in 2021 with San Ginesio, a village of about 4 , 0 0 0 i n t h e M a c e r a t a province of Marche. It con- tinued in 2022 with Sauris- Zahre, a charming village on the Friuli Venezia-Giulia Alps with a population of o n l y 4 2 1 , a n d G i g l i o Island, a pearl of the Tus- can Archipelago, perhaps the most well-known of the three, located off the coast of t h e G r o s s e t o p r o v i n c e i n Tuscany. L e t u s s t a r t f r o m t h e N o r t h a n d t h e b e a u t i f u l hamlet of Sauris-Zahre. This small village lies peace- fully at almost 4,000 ft on the Friulan Dolomites; it is a G e r m a n - s p e a k i n g s e t t l e - ment, somehow difficult to reach from the valley and, for this reason, it remained largely unchanged for cen- turies. Strolling among its stone and wood homes is m a g i c a l a n d t i m e l e s s f o r sure, especially if you hap- p e n t o b e t h e r e d u r i n g Carnevale, the celebration of which is one of the best established local traditions. Sauris-Zahre is also known for its enogastronomic heritage, which includes internationally-known pro- d u c t i o n s o f h a m , a l p i n e c h e e s e s , a n d c r a f t b e e r s . Tradition and natural beauty are cherished here, but what a b o u t i n n o v a t i o n ? W e l l , Sauris-Zahre has been one o f t h e f i r s t p l a c e s t o embrace, back in the 1980s, the concept of albergo diffu- so, "diffuse hotel," where the village itself becomes your hotel, local restaurants and cafés your dining area, and s t o r e s s e l l i n g t r a d i t i o n a l products and crafted goods a very special hotel boutique. L e t u s m o v e s o u t h a n d west, towards Tuscany, and take a ferry to the quaint I s o l a d e l G i g l i o , G i g l i o I s l a n d . I t i s o n e o f t h e islands forming the Tuscan Archipelago, which is the l a r g e s t m a r i n e p a r k i n Europe. Because of the per- fect balance reached between tourism and environmental awareness and protection, Giglio Island has been long considered an example to follow when it comes to safe- guarding nature while bene- f i t i n g f r o m t h e p e r k s o f t o u r i s m , t o o . T h e i s l a n d attracts a variety of people, f r o m t h o s e i n t e r e s t e d i n scuba diving to history buffs, thanks to its rich archaeolog- ical and cultural connections with both the Etruscans and the Romans. Giglio Island managed to remain, just like Sauris-Zahre, faithful to its roots and respectful of the environment that made it such a beloved spot. Last but not certainly least is the first Italian village to be selected by the UNWTO, S a n G i n e s i o , i n t h e Marche, also known as the balcone dei Monti Sibillini, o r t h e S y b i l l i n e M o u n - tains' balcony, because of its spectacularly scenic loca- tion. But that's not the only n i c k n a m e S a n G i n e s i o gained throughout the years: it is also called the c i t t à delle 100 chiese, "the town of 100 churches," because of the wealth of its artistic and architectural patrimony. San Ginesio is strategically locat- e d n e a r o n e o f t h e m o s t impressive natural parks in t h e c o u n t r y , t h e P a r c o Nazionale dei Monti Sibilli- ni, known as one of the most innovative protected areas when it comes to sustainabil- ity. This beautiful village is also very lively from a cultur- al point of view, with its Fes- tival di Musica Antica and a fair dedicated to the a r t o f a c t i n g . I n d e e d , because of its deep connec- tion with the arts and with c r e a t i v i t y , S a n G i n e s i o became a UNESCO Creative City in 2004. Unfortunately, it was harshly hit by the 2016 earthquake, the same one that destroyed Amatrice, but that was, in way, the starting point for further improve- ment, so much so that today San Ginesio is a key stop for all slow tourism lovers visit- ing these parts of Italy. A view of Giglio Island (Photo: Cellai Stefano/Dreamstime) Sustainability, modernity, and slow living: Italian simple life 2.0 CHIARA D'ALESSIO San Gregorio church in San Ginesio (Photo: Kristinadrozdphotography/Dreamstime) LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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