A mountain ridge that runs vertically across Italy. An “impermeable, wild territory, still unexplored, at least in part. Guardian of our history, of dialects, of forgotten cultural and food and wine traditions.” It's there'Apenninesthe final frontier, the place of the heart of Arianna Porcelli Safonov.
The one where he chose to live 20 years ago to escape the city, as anyone who has read his hilarious book knows Fucking country (Fazi, 2016) in which he talks about the joys and sorrows of rural life.
But for some time now, the Apennines have also become a stage for the author and performer of high-pitched and cutting monologues that sell out all over Italy.
“If it were up to me, I would move the theater to the mountains: these are two places where we go because we are thirsty for essential things and we don't want to talk to people”, a- he writes on social networks.
Here, like this, I hiking and reading collected under the title of Transhumanismborn during the confinement period to “keep morale high”, with which Arianna takes groups of hundreds of people to the ridges of the Apennines throughout Italy.
Trekking and reading Arianna Porcelli Safonov
“Taking the public up there with the guides is a wonderful experience every time. A sort of enchantment is created in the woods: even though there are almost a hundred of us, we all walk in silence.”
“It's not about walking,” says Arianna, “so don't show up in Superga shoes. These are real hikes, circular routes of 6 to 8 kilometers, more or less suitable for all those who are used to using their lower limbs.
Walks dedicated in particular to mountain enthusiasts who are discovering the city. And to all those who, at least once in their life, have said to themselves “Enough is enough!” I drop everything and run into the woods, but luckily they haven't done that yet.”
The famous and highly esteemed “change of life” is in fact the underlying theme of the treks of Transhumanism. Along the way, during the 4 to 5 scheduled steps, the author reads a selection of passages from his book Damn countryside, but also other writers – from Thoreau to Adriana Zarri – who devoted themselves to the “hermit” life.
The idea is to “make contact with nature without disturbing it, laughing at all this bucolic rhetoric which has developed especially in recent years around the theme of returning to nature and returning home with technical tools and spiritual to be able to move in the mountains the next day.
From time to time, to combine hiking and shows in theaters and festival squares, we depart from the Apennines towards other peaks of great beauty.
Trekking to Rocca di Manerba
This is going to happen Sunday May 26 with the excursion to Manerba Fortress, rocky promontory immersed in a nature reserve, but also a site of archaeological importance and an extraordinary panoramic point with breathtaking views of Lake Garda, in the province of Brescia.
From the summit cross at the top of the Rocca you can see the Isola dei Conigli, the Isola del Garda, the port of San Felice, the Gulf of Salò, Monte Baldo and all the coastal towns.
In the company of Arianna and an environmental guide, you will walk up there between sky and lake. The circular excursion lasts approximately 3 hours, information and registration on eventbrite.it.
Walks and festivals: Arianna Porcelli Safonov’s summer events
The hikes of Transhumanism they will continue in the coming months, with other dates and destinations, but among Arianna's summer plans there are also several festivals.
L'June 11 will be at Roman theater Of Veronawith a previously unpublished monologue entitled Degustibus for the 2024 edition of Beauty festival.
Then the June 27At Sforza Castle Of Milan with another novelty, Stars behind, on the theme of icons.
And there will be more new stops on the tour Foodhis last monologue dedicated to “the big problem that nutrition has gotten itself into: that of becoming a trend”, and Homeophonies, eight fairy tales for adults accompanied by live music by twenty acoustic and electronic instruments.
All the information on the website ariannaporcellisafonov.com.
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