Villanis Mario

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The Angel’s Caves

Lost in an area characterized by wild nature as well as by the majesty of the Alburni Mountains, the municipality of Pertosa is the setting in which we discover suggestive places that in the province of Salerno are authentic attractions, for example the Maremanico Waterfall, and the Campostrino Gorges, flanked by paths traveled on foot but also by bicycle, the Cammino dell’Alleanza and the Via del Monte Cervati. In wandering through wonders, you end up arriving at that phenomenal speleological complex known as the Angel’s Caves, also known as the Pertosa caves.

The tourist notoriety acquired over the years by Pertosa is mainly due to the naturalistic heritage it has enjoyed since the dawn of time. The Caves of Pertosa play a primary role in the Vallo di Diano area: beautiful, fresh and very deep, they open near the Tanagro river, an impetuous watercourse ideal for rafting, now well known among the young and old. These caves – formed over 35 million years and which for some years can be visited in complete safety thanks to guided tours through five different routes – have a unique peculiarity, because they provide direct access from a small lake that must be crossed aboard small boats. the boats that ply the underground river – each can carry twenty-five people – have no mechanical or electrical driving force and are totally ecological (!): they are in fact connected to a system of overhead steel cables that the staff in charge of guiding visitors use to move the boat ‘by pushing’, with only the strength of the arms.

The temperature inside the Pertosa Auletta Caves is constant at 16 °, neither too hot nor too cold.

Among the huge and somewhat gloomy rocky cavities, Dario Argento shot some scenes of his film “The Phantom of the Opera”, the Pertosa Auletta Caves are so scenic that they have often also been the venue for theatrical performances, including , Dante’s “Inferno”, in which professional actors had the task of accompanying visitors-spectators to discover the ten circles of Hell, in a theatrical itinerary inside the Caves.

A real challenge for adventure lovers is the Forra di Campostrino, which can be crossed following the canyoning along the river that reaches the Velo della Sposa, an explosive waterfall with a spectacular jump. All the naturalistic charm is summarized in the speleo-archaeological museum and the soil museum.

As soon as you enter the town, you are struck by the chromatic power released by the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, whose yellow facade leaves for a brief moment with bated breath so accentuated. Squared and orderly, it preserves inside a fifteenth-century fresco depicting the Madonna delle Grazie and the picture of the Immaculate Conception, executed in 1598 by Bernardo Lama and consequently placed in the apse.

The Church of San Benedetto is linked to the Benedictine tradition, which in the historic center houses the precious painting of the Transit of San Giuseppe

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Toruń, Jewel of Poland

Toruń, located along the banks of the Wisla, and became a city in 1233, thanks to the order of the Teutonic Knights, a military religious order born in the Middle Ages to protect German pilgrims on their travels to the Holy Land, reached its maximum splendor in the Middle Ages, becoming part of the Hanseatic League.

Saved from destruction in World War II, it boasts one of the most beautiful historic centers in all of Europe, divided into Old and New Town, and since 1997 protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Also known for being the birthplace of the father of modern astronomy Nicolaus Copernicus and of the University of the same name, one of the best in Poland.

Walking through the historic center, which is largely a pedestrian area, you can admire the so-called Casa a Stella (Pod Gwiazda), which belonged to the Italian writer Filippo Buonaccorsi, who fled to Poland to escape beheading.

The imposing Gothic Town Hall is located in the center of the Market Square in the Old Town, with the statue of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in front of it.

In the Market Square we also find the Gothic church of the Virgin Mary and the Leaning Tower which was part of the ancient medieval fortress.

A few steps from the Town Hall we find the birthplace of Copernicus and the Gothic Cathedral of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, where Copernicus was baptized, and where the Tuba Dei, the bell of the cathedral which is also one of the oldest and largest bells, is kept. of Europe.

Despite being the emblem of the tragic history of the twentieth century, Poland is a wonderful land that, too often, is underestimated. If you believe that this is a cold, gloomy and gray country, know that the reality is far different! You will be amazed to discover that Poland, land of Pope Wojtyla and Chopin, is an extremely colorful and sunny country which, although marked by the atrocities of the Great War, has a heart that beats with liveliness, joy and carefree, and is worth a visit. from north to south.

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Christ of Maratea

The statue of the Redeemer, or more commonly the Christ of Maratea, dominates the city of Maratea, on top of Monte San Biagio.
Built to replace the commemorative cross placed in memory of the attack suffered by the ancient fortified citadel in 1806, the Christ is the work of Stefano Rivetti from Biella, who arrived in Basilicata in 1953.
As early as 1957 Rivetti had entrusted the project to the artist Bruno Innocenti, a professor at the State Institute of Art in Florence. The first sketches of the statue date back to 1960 and in 1964 it was entrusted to Eng. Luigi Musumeci the study and the structural and load bearing project of the structure.
Musumeci himself began the construction of the concrete and iron reinforcement, fixed to the foundations dug into the rock of the mountain with the use of over 14 tons of iron and in September of the same year he began the casting of marble and cement that would make up the body of the statue.

Between the end of 1964 and the first months of 1965, Bruno Innocenti carried out the chiselling of the entire surface of the sculpture.
The Redeemer of Maratea is the tallest statue of Christ in Europe and in the world, with its 21 meters in height, it ranks third (after that of Rio in Brazil, 38 meters and Cochabamba in Bolivia, 33 meters) .
The monument stretches towards the sea overhanging for several hundred meters overlooking the port of Maratea and giving visitors one of the most evocative panoramic views of the area. The statue has its back turned towards the sea and its face towards the mainland, as if to watch over the inhabitants of Maratea and the territory.
Christ the Redeemer shows a young face and a barely hinted beard. It is in a position that seems to slowly advance with open arms towards the adjacent Basilica of San Biagio.
Compared to the classic iconography of Jesus it is conspicuously different, with short hair and barely hinted lips, in reference to a certain modernity. The raised and slightly bent arms ensure that in the distance nothing is revealed about the direction of the face.
Along the pedestrian path, slightly uphill, you pass through the ruins of the ancient Castle of Maratea, which was razed to the ground by the French after having capitulated following a long siege, in December 1806.
Along the entire route you can admire the wonderful panorama of Maratea. You have an exceptional 360 ° view of the magical profile of the Gulf of Policastro and of the inland mountains.
One of the most characteristic moments for visiting the statue of Christ the Redeemer is during the feast of San Biagio.

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Time of Chestnuts

Leaving the heat and sun behind us, we enter the autumn with the fruit of the season par excellence, the undisputed king of fairs and markets in the hilly areas: chestnuts.
The Chestnut, in the peasant tradition represents “the bread of the poor”, for its low cost and the diffusion among the rural population, they are a very versatile food and can be tasted in different ways: roasted on the fire, boiled, baked in the oven and dry, depending on whether you prefer soft or crunchy, they are also excellent for the bone system as they are rich in minerals, vitamins, but also in sugars, moreover, as they do not contain gluten, they can be consumed by celiacs without any problem.
In fact, chestnut flour is often used for the preparation of dietary products intended for those suffering from celiac disease and, for those who love to cook and experiment in the kitchen, it can be used in numerous sweet and savory gluten-free recipes, from cakes and plumcakes to pasta. fresh and sandwiches, in combination with other gluten-free flours, such as corn and rice flour.

The chestnut harvest: it is a wonderful opportunity to spend days with family or friends, between walks and picnics in their purest form. In fact, a walk through the autumn-dyed woods always manages to release the accumulated negative energies.
Collecting chestnuts is what can be defined as 2 birds with one stone. Luckily permitting, it gives the opportunity to loom in the discovery of some greedy porcini mushrooms to perhaps add to a classic savory pie. On the other hand, the two plants have always been in perfect symbiosis. Where there is chestnut there is porcino.
Throughout the boot the varieties of chestnuts are really many, small, large, large or giant, they are divided into two macro-categories: browns and chestnuts.
Harvesting begins at the end of September and continues until the last week of October. The fruits are harvested by recovering the urchins fallen on the ground and not hitting the branches of the tree !!!. Yes exactly. The tree drops the fruit once it reaches the right ripeness.
Did you know that chestnuts are false fruits? Yes: the real fruit is represented by the hedgehog!
The chestnut is a tree over a hundred years old. It is thought that the Romans introduced the plant in Italy and Europe, but it was in the Middle Ages that the tireless work of the monks made it possible to create vast cultures in the mountains and hills. And it is a chestnut tree that is one of the longest-lived plants in Italy. More precisely, it is the Chestnut of the Hundred Horses, which began to germinate in the Etna natural park over 3000 years ago. The tree, considered the most famous and largest in Italy, is the subject of one of the oldest acts of naturalistic protection, if not the first of its kind. In 1982 it was included in the Italian heritage of green monuments, and is in the first 150 with high historical and monumental value.

It is Cilento, the kingdom of chestnuts (marroni), with an average production of 250,000 quintals per year of the Nzerta and Abate varieties. They feed the pastry industry in the varied range of offers. A considerable quantity is destined for drying and marketing like the priest’s chestnuts, which, roasted and smoked in the chimney, are consumed especially at Christmas. Producer cooperatives with hundreds of active members for over a decade or so export the product, fresh and processed also to the United States.
And in the explosion of ecotourism, chestnut groves are an environmental resource to be enhanced and discovered for those who venture from the coast of Paestum to discover the inland areas of the Cilento with the destination Roccadaspide and Stio, Magliano, Monteforte and Trentinara, but not only, as for those that from Ascea, Pisciotta, Palinuro and Marina di Camerota, San Giovanni a Piro and Scario point to the unspoiled landscapes of the villages perched on the slopes of Antilia and Centaurino: Cuccaro Vetere, Futani and Montano, first of all.
It is one of the many pleasant surprises of that treasure chest that is the Parco del Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni.

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Fall … harvest time!

Even if this is a particular year and with uncertain times, the harvests in Italy have begun and many have managed to finish it along the boot, last week without hitches. The growing season began earlier this year with a short winter and a warm, sunny spring. May and June were unusually cool with lots of rain (and work) in the vineyards. Finally August was very hot again and Merlot began to be harvested in Maremma, for example, during the first week of September. The weather during the month of September was quite unstable so it took many a little over a month to harvest all the grapes.

While it is early to make a verdict the first impression is that the quality of the grapes this year is very good while the quantity is much lower than in past years due to bad weather during the growing season, this will ensure that we will have this year according to the most expert oenologists a high quality of wines, from north to south, from the fine wines of central-northern Italy, to the less known but equally high-level wines of southern Italy.

In Italy there are many opportunities to taste and appreciate the atmosphere of the harvest with the numerous initiatives scattered throughout the national territory, from visits to vineyards and cellars, intent on the early stages of processing the grapes, tastings of must and wine, with the ‘inevitable combination with typical local products, brunches, lunches and aperitifs, workshops and harvest experiences for children. For the winemakers, the harvest is certainly the most important moment from the point of view of production, but it is also one of the most intense and cheerful, in which it is a pleasure to be able to share that typical atmosphere, made up of commitment, sharing, harmony, with admirers of Italian wines.

We are waiting for you in the cellar!

The Angel’s Caves

The temperature inside the Pertosa Auletta Caves is constant at 16 °, neither too hot nor too cold.

The Church of San Benedetto is linked to the Benedictine tradition, which in the historic center houses the precious painting of the Transit of San Giuseppe

Devil’s Bridge

The Ponte della Maddalena,
also known as the Devil’s Bridge.

It is located in the Municipality of Borgo a Mozzano, in the Garfagnana (beautiful places, unfortunately little known, advertised and visited.).

A bold work with arches of particular charm, it was built or at least started by the Countess Matilda di Canossa in the 11th century, however what we see today is a 14th century reconstruction.

Like any self-respecting devil’s bridge, there is a legend that justifies the name: the master builder in charge of the construction of the bridge was late with the work, desperate for not being able to meet the delivery times, one evening he called on the devil to finish the operates on the same night.

Naturally the devil set his conditions, which the master builder accepted: it was a question of giving the devil the soul of whoever had passed first on the bridge.

The master builder accepted this wicked pact, but repenting immediately afterwards he asked the parish priest for advice who devised a stratagem: the first to cross, with the bridge erected, was a dog, an all-white Maremma shepherd.

The devil, disheartened, could not help but collect the deception: he took the dog and threw himself into the river.

It is said that in the last evenings of the months of October you can see this dog walking, now possessed by the devil, who is still looking for the soul of the unwary foreman.

Turismo Responsabile

Il turismo responsabile è un modo di viaggiare più consapevole e rispettoso nei confronti del paese verso cui si va, della gente che si incontrerà ed anche di se stessi. Una presa di coscienza della propria cultura e di quella con la quale si entrerà in contatto.

Un turismo che va oltre i fenomeni di massa per far leva sulla curiosità per il territorio; ha lo scopo di ridurre al minimo gli impatti ambientali, socio-culturali ed economici che il turismo normalmente comporta.

Villa Malaparte – Island of Capri, Italy

Il turismo è un settore molto importante nell’economia mondiale ed è per molti paesi una risorsa finanziaria. Diventa però il peggior cancro se gestito in maniera sbagliata tanto dagli operatori che dagli ospiti e dai turisti. Non ci si rende conto di quanto possa essere dannoso e inquinante il turismo di massa, che produce spesso false attrazioni e una “turisticizzazione” del folklore; genera la proliferazione di organizzazioni illecite e spesso anche il danneggiamento dei beni culturali o dei parchi naturalistici e dei loro abitanti.

Il turismo responsabile è un movimento che ha come obiettivo quello di salvaguardare sia i turisti che le comunità ospitanti ed i luoghi, creando delle regole comportamentali e logistiche per la promozione di un turismo, responsabile dal punto di vista etico e sostenibile economicamente ed ecologicamente nel tempo.

Nel 1995 nella Carta di Lanzarote si afferma che “Lo sviluppo del turismo deve essere basto sul criterio di sostenibilità, ovvero deve essere ecologicamente sostenibile nel lungo periodo, economicamente conveniente, eticamente e socialmente equo nei riguardi delle comunità locali. La sostenibilità del turismo richiede per definizione che esso integri l’ambiente naturale, culturale e umano.”

In Italia, l’AITR (Associazione Italiana di Turismo Responsabile) nel 1997 approva la Carta di identità per viaggi sostenibili che definisce parametri e regole di questa forma di viaggio.

La sostenibilità implica anche durata nel tempo, perciò il turismo deve prevedere un uso ottimale delle risorse, la minimizzazione degli impatti ecologici, culturali e sociali, la massimizzazione dei benefici per la conservazione e le comunità locali. Tenendo sempre conto della soddisfazione del turista.

Il Turismo Responsabile deve essere visto come la filosofia del rispetto per i popoli e per l’ambiente che si traduce in un viaggio “in punta di piedi”, senza fretta, assaporando i luoghi e gli incontri che si faranno durante il cammino. Ricercando sempre l’autenticità nella conoscenza dello spirito dei luoghi, delle tradizioni, dei sapori.

Cultural & artistic tours

Artistic and Cultural Tourism in the vast and fascinating field of knowledge and enhancement of the Italian and international historical-artistic-architectural heritage, through the organization of tours with initiatives, services and events aimed at the enjoyment of Culture. The proposed activities are organized in prime locations, by the best tour operators and with the greatest possible flexibility to make the visits unforgettable experiences.

In Rome we organize numerous visits to the Capitoline artistic heritage, also within private sites and closed to the public that are always present in our programs: noble palaces, villas, gardens, archaeological and underground sites, churches and monasteries, this not only in Rome but throughout Italy and also abroad.

Italy is an open-air museum. No other country can boast of having so many historical and artistic treasures, preserved in hundreds of historic sites and in more than 3,000 museums scattered across the country. In fact, almost half of the sites listed by Unesco are in Italy.

Food and wine tours

Food and wine are two things that more than anything else characterize Italy, a myriad of absolute varieties all with unique peculiarities are part of Italian culture from north to south, and you can never say that you know Italians well if the food and wine culture is not known.

Wine, an ancient tradition, which dates back to the era of the great Greek and Roman empires, today more than ever is in the everyday life of every Italian, always on the table at every lunch or dinner, and helps to appreciate the local cuisine more, enhancing its taste and flavor.