How was your\u00a0\u201c400 km di Appennino\u201d journey born?<\/h2>\n
I was born in Carrara, but despite the closeness to the\u00a0Apuan Alps<\/strong>,\u00a0it was not until I turned 30 that I wore a pair of trekking shoes. I didn’t even know what a trail was. My family isn’t\u00a0particularly fond of mountains, but I have always been taught love and respect for animals and nature. Though, I never spent a holiday in the mountains or on the snow. Growing up, my friends weren’t fond of mountains either. But thanks to Paola, that one day would have become my wife, I first approached this unknown world to me. As a kid, she used to spend holidays in the mountains of\u00a0South Tyrol. 15 days in the Pusteria Valley were enough for me to let that hidden seed sprout and to change my world.<\/p>\n Once back home in Carrara, I couldn’t\u00a0help myself looking\u00a0at those mountains<\/strong>, the Apuans. Until that moment, they\u00a0had\u00a0just been unknown to me, but\u00a0I was now\u00a0eager to\u00a0get immersed alone in the nature. I literally started exploring them, whose peaks had names I didn’t even know. Excursion after excursion, trip after trip, I started looking even for their hideaway corners, and today I can say I got to know them fairly well. But after a while they became too narrow for me. Every time I climbed to a peak I couldn’t stop looking further<\/strong>, to the close Apennines. I love mountains from foot to top and I like walking alone in the mountains, but I never challenged myself with something demanding and extreme hiking, though long distances<\/strong> attract me. I especially love the silent noise of nature, only broke by the sound of my steps and sometimes loneliness almost gives me a shiver of pleasure.<\/p>\n And so I began linking some stretches of trail in the Apuan Alps and in the Apennines. First, with 2 days long journeys, then 3 and even 4 days long. At that point, I felt ready for a longer one. And because I believe that to go on adventures, you don’t always need to travel far away, I planned my own adventure in the Apennines. Doing some research, I discovered a trail named GEA\u00a0(Grande Escursione Appenninica – The Great Apennine Excursion<\/b>).<\/p>\n It was originally thought of in the 80s by Gianfranco Bracci, the first to officially complete it together with no less than someone named\u00a0Reinhold Messner<\/strong>. They left from Bocca Trabaria and walk along the whole GEA to get to Passo dei due Santi,\u00a0the crossing point dividing Toscana, Emilia Romagna and Liguria, the northern point of the Northern Apennines. It took them almost 3 weeks and\u00a0430km in total.<\/p>\n My own journey along the GEA was a little different. I left from\u00a0Bocca Trabaria<\/strong>\u00a0(geographical\u00a0point separating Toscana, Umbria and Marche; also the\u00a0precise point dividing the Northern\u00a0from the Central Apennines) as well, and followed their trail until I got to\u00a0San Pellegrino in Alpe<\/strong>, a small village overlooking the Garfagnana<\/strong>. From here, I managed to find another track that would allow me to get the Apuan Alps (my hometown mountains) linked, walking on their renowned\u00a0\u201cAlta Via\u201d (literally, the ‘High Way’), and to finally reach\u00a0Carrara<\/strong>,\u00a0where I used to live at that time.<\/p>\n This project had, among other things, the aim of getting to know myself better<\/strong>. Today, 10 years after, I can say that that journey allowed me to discover my physical and mental limits. But 10 years after, I can also say that that adventure isn’t over yet, as it was just the beginning of a change in my mindset and in my approach with nature.<\/p>\n The first three days of that journey were incredible. I had never suffered so much to win over nature. I had planned everything, or at least this was what I thought, and everything was expected to go smoothly, how my mind had it all planned. But obviously (and luckily) it didn’t go like that: during these 3 days spent walking I discovered that I was actually looking\u00a0for a personal contact with nature. To do so, I had to let go of stereotypes<\/strong> that our everyday life has imposed on us, and most of all I had to get to know myself perfectly well, in my weaknesses, my limits and my strengths.<\/p>\n These 3 days of drought, hunger, uncertainties,\u00a0allowed my body and mind to communicate in the best way possible and to react to good and bad stimuli as quick as possible, step after step. The most amazing discovery was exactly the one of the real me<\/strong>, of my limits as men: I ignored and went beyond them, I let myself be able to interact with nature.<\/p>\n This route is incredible: it goes through\u00a0amazing places,\u00a0both in terms of\u00a0landscapes\u00a0and in terms\u00a0of their history. In these 17 stages I walked 400km, with 1500m of difference in altitude going up and down. The longest leg was almost 40km long, the shortest almost 11,5km, with 24km on average. My ititnerary crossed 4 regions\u00a0(Umbria, Marche, Toscana\u00a0and Emilia-Romagna) and\u00a011 Provinces (Perugia \u2013 Pesaro-Urbino \u2013 Arezzo \u2013 Rimini \u2013 Bologna \u2013 Firenze \u2013 Prato \u2013 Pistoia \u2013 Modena \u2013 Lucca \u2013 Massa Carrara). I crossed 3 natural parks: Ho attraversato\u00a03 Parchi naturali<\/strong>: the Natural Park of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines<\/strong>,\u00a0the\u00a0Parco Foreste Casentinesi<\/strong>\u00a0ed il\u00a0Parco\u00a0of the\u00a0Apuan Alps<\/strong>.<\/p>\n 17 days walking<\/strong>\u00a0along history, culture and unspoiled natural environments of a hidden Italy, that not everybody know. I walked for days and days completely alone through the Park of\u00a0Foreste Casentinesi<\/strong>, and I could touch the dark atmosphere of the Sasso Fratino Reserve<\/strong>. I was hosted by the monks in Camaldoli, I visited\u00a0Michelangelo Buonarroti’s native village and I went through the whole Mugello<\/strong>, adapting time by time to the different environments: from beech forests to the warm and sunny Tuscan valleys, from chestnut forests to the pastures of the High Apennines.<\/p>\n From the small glacial lakes to the Apuan Alps, I was always thrilled by so much beauty. I was glad to walk and discover unique places, not so well-known, and even happier in the evening, tired but peaceful, eager to contemplate the stars before falling asleep in my sleeping bag.<\/p>\n To choose only 3 stages is a really difficult task for me. But if I really have to choose I would say stage n\u00b03. In fact, I visited the Cerbaiolo hermitage, where I met Ms. Chiara, a lay lady from Ravenna who decided to retire in this small and historical gem when she was very young. Alone, she brought this ancient and tumbledown hermitage, which was built around year 1000, to\u00a0its original beauty. I was lucky enough to hear\u00a0the story of her life, spent in a unique place in contact with animals.<\/p>\n Another significant stage was stage n\u00b0 5: I left from\u00a0Santuario di La Verna<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and managed to reach by the end of the day the Camaldoli hermitage<\/strong>, where I was hosted in the hermitage thanks to the help of Padre Francisco, as the pilgrims used to do once.<\/p>\n Last but not least, stage n\u00b09,\u00a0through\u00a0Passo della Futa <\/strong>and its\u00a0German military cemetery<\/strong>. After 8 days of walking in almost complete solitude,\u00a0I met an upsetting reality. Imagine yourself walking among 30 thousand names of young people as me. People who left their hometowns to follow an ideal (or at least so did they think), without thinking of not having the chance to go back. I can’t hide the emotions I felt in those moments, while reading names, day of birth and death. I kept looking at that never-ending line of pain until I noticed a small red object on one of the gravestones. Getting closer I could see it was a heart, maybe made of ceramic. It still bright and vivid\u00a0red almost clashes with the surrounding environment. There was\u00a0an epigraph written in German: “The gravestone reports the name of Private First Class\u00a0(Obergefreiter) Hinrich Arnold,\u00a0born on the 21-5-1912 e\u00a0deceased on the\u00a023-9-1944.\u00a0He was\u00a032 years old.\u201d Such a journey, a slow one, allows you to be in harmony<\/strong> with the environment and places you go through. Walking at a 3km\/h rate, you can really watch things and notice the details<\/strong> that would otherwise be difficult to spot\u00a0in other circumstances. And I also walked alone, with a big trekking backpack. Everyone I met was curious about my journey. They would come closer to me and interact, almost as if that invisible shield that surrounds us in our everyday life had disappeared.<\/p>\n Backpacking along the\u00a0Grande Escursione Appenninica\u00a0as I did, is surely not extreme hiking, but it surely is demanding<\/strong>. My first suggestion I feel like giving to those who would like to plan a holiday on foot, is to choose a track which reflects your own characteristics and physical possibilities.<\/p>\n To best deal with unexpected situations and to fully enjoy the places you walk through, physical preparation is also recommended and worth doing: my second tip is to exercise yourself to be in a good shape<\/strong> before leaving.<\/p>\n Third, get as much information<\/strong> as possible on the track to follow: climbs, descents, dangerous parts, distance between refreshments and water stations. Prepare yourself with anything you might need in case of difficulty.<\/p>\n Another tip is on equipment<\/strong>, which should be selected and chosen carefully for every possible problem but at the same time be light and basic. Every kilo becomes a ton when you have to walk such long distances and your knees might resent from this. You should have all the necessary in case of need, but weight is even more important! Luckily today you can find perfect materials that will help you.<\/p>\n And then, last and maybe the most important thing, leave your everyday life<\/strong>, your ideas and your mental stereotypes at home. You shouldn’t expect anything from such a journey, you should just live it step after step and day after day.\u00a0 I strongly believe that the beauty of this experience lies on understanding the difference between a holiday and a journey<\/strong>, keeping in mind that usually tourists never find what they are searching, while travelers never search what they find.<\/p>\n Is there anything left to say? Thank you Graziano for sharing\u00a0your journey experience and some of\u00a0your emotions along the 400km on foot.<\/p>\n Do not miss his incredible book, here<\/a> in the e-book version.<\/p>\n Enjoy the reading, and enjoy your journey (on foot, of course)!\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n 400 km on foot in the unspoiled nature of the Italian Apennines,\u00a0through small hamlets, ancient hermitages, parks and natural forests. 17\u00a0days spent walking along the\u00a0Escursione Appenninica,\u00a0traveling at\u00a03 km per hour to discover the silence and the unique landscapes of a hidden and almost unknown Italy. 17\u00a0legs through 4 regions\u00a0(Umbria, Marche, Toscana\u00a0and Emilia-Romagna), 11 provinces e\u00a03 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":18066,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,869],"tags":[25,364,45,231,71,91],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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Which was\u00a0your\u00a0most incredible discovery\u00a0in the\u00a0journey from Arezzo to Carrara?<\/h2>\n
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Which were the three most significant stages in your journey on foot?<\/h2>\n
![\"La](\"https:\/\/sb.ecobnb.net\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/04\/La-Verna-870x490.jpg\")
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\nThis small red heart, more than 60 years after, was still there, in the overwhelming silence. It proved the thoughts and feelings that are still alive in that hand that left it here. In that grey hecatomb, that apparently meaningless red spot, is a symbol of eternal love and lets hope live.<\/p>\nWhich are the advantages of a slow-journey that you personally\u00a0 experienced?<\/h2>\n
![\"Backpacking\"](\"https:\/\/sb.ecobnb.net\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/04\/jenner-vandenhoek-473094-unsplash-870x490.jpg\")
5 tips to plan your next holiday on foot<\/h2>\n
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Traveling the world with a backpack for 3 years<\/a><\/h4>\n
Walking in the clouds, from the alpine pearl of Ceresole Reale<\/a><\/h4>\n
Tree Sleeping: when camping is\u2026 on trees!<\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"