+8 Italy Beyond Wine, Pasta and Art
Italy Beyond Wine, Pasta and Art
Italy Beyond Wine, Pasta and Art
Italy Beyond Wine, Pasta and Art
Italy Beyond Wine, Pasta and Art
Italy Beyond Wine, Pasta and Art
Italy Beyond Wine, Pasta and Art
Italy Beyond Wine, Pasta and Art
Italy Beyond Wine, Pasta and Art
Italy Beyond Wine, Pasta and Art
Italy Beyond Wine, Pasta and Art
URBINO – Like many Italians, Fabio Duro and his friends spend much of their free time drinking beer, eating various meats and cheeses, and singing traditional songs.
But for them, it isn’t always in the middle of a bustling and ancient piazza.
Instead they might be having fun on a mountain trail, inside a dark, winding cave or climbing a sheer rock wall. They are members of the 400,000-strong Club Alpino Italiano (CAI) – the Italian Alpine Club. These Italians go hiking, trekking, backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking and spelunking – all of which are deeply rooted in their Italian culture.
“It does not matter the age of the members within our club,” says Fabio Duro, president of the Urbino chapter of the CAI. “Our youngest member is 2 years old and our oldest is 82.”
Few of the 58 million tourists who flock to this country of 60 million each year are aware of this side of Italian culture. They come looking for the things Italy is most known for: fine food, wine and artistic and architectural gems. But outdoor sports have long been a staple of life here.
Italian explorer Quintino Sella founded what is now known as the Italian Alpine Club in 1863.
Today’s club has expanded well beyond the original mainstay of summiting peaks.
“One of the most important things they do is set up trails [as well as] rediscover ones which already exist, preserving them by sprucing them up to help draw people’s attention to them,” says Duro. The CAI is responsible for the maintenance and waymarking of roughly 37,300 miles of Italian trails.
The CAI gets no public funding, accomplishing its mission solely with the 40-euro yearly membership fee. This includes not only organized outings, but also safety classes, speakers, and rescue operations.
“Preserving and protecting the mountains and showing respect towards the environment and nature is our main mission,” says Sonia Pierobon, president of the Fossombrone chapter.
Sticks in hand and boot laces tightly tied, one Sunday morning in June 95 members gather together to hike through nine miles of rolling mountains near Fossombrone. Children as young as five join long-time members of all ages and skill levels.
After counting heads, Pierobon blows her whistle to signify the start of their journey. Along the way a couple stop to pick wild cherries from the trees lining the path for a little extra sugar in their system.
When the first break comes 90 minutes into the hike, some members are fanning themselves in search of relief from the sun while rookies go to the “old pros” who knew to carry multiple water bottles in their rucksacks. During the 15-minute break, one member begins a lecture on the hike’s theme: 18th century criminal gangs who roamed these mountain spaces.
As the hike progresses, some members decorate themselves with the wildflowers growing along the trail. And there is a spirit of camaraderie throughout the group. Veteran members make sure everyone has enough water, help adjust hiking poles, and assist those having trouble on the steeper stretches.
However, the most impressive member of the club is a four-legged friend that accompanied its owner. He was able to complete the trek better than the most advanced human hikers.
Five hours after starting, a tired but happy group reaches trail’s end at a café in the town of Fossombrone to enjoy a traditional victory celebration with cold drinks, food, and good company.
“All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy,” Duro points out.
The hike might be over, but the spirit of the club and its mission is present in the everyday lives of many members. Each has a passion for the natural beauty provided by the earth around them and uses their drive both within the club and in their personal life.
For example, rock climbing instructor Francesco Angeli found his connection with the environment after a religious experience on a pilgrimage to the Catholic holy site Medjugorje in Bosnia. He recreates religious art from pieces of dead wood he finds along the trails on CAI hikes.
His knowledge as a restorer of ancient furniture provides the skills needed for this sideline.
“It’s a hobby,” he said. “It’s a passion of mine. I enjoy it very much. It helps let steam off, like climbing.”
Mountain biker Alberto Crinelli embraces his adventurous side both within the CAI and through a club of his own. Because bikes can tear up trails, he is working to create a natural bike park on a nearby mountain to reduce the negative effect of the tires on CAI trails.
Crinelli, an avid archer, also plans on building an archery park for the Compagnia Fetria Aquile Ducali, a club he founded and leads. Members perfect their archery skills in a private wooded area and also participate in Renaissance festivals.
“You have to have good reflexes for both of these skills,” says Crinelli, “it takes a lot of practice and training.”
Speleologist Filippo Martelli, a physics professor at the University of Urbino, incorporates his childhood fascination of the earth by exploring caves with other members. Speleologists face extreme conditions, risking their lives every time they step foot into a cave, he said.
“But the goal of your activity is to explore yourself and your fear and to look at this beautiful place that not many people go inside of.”
Martelli reminisces about a time when he brought along students to a spelunking course and they noticed how serious he became. When asked by his students why he wasn’t talking and laughing with them he replied, “because this is my life.”
“Technical aspects are important when in a cave because it is connected to your safety,” he said. “But the goal of your activity is to explore yourself and your fear and to look at this beautiful place that not many people go inside of.”
Duro ensures that even the disabled can play an active role in the club. The CAI held a fundraiser to help raise money for a local group to purchase a joelette – an all-terrain chair that enables those reduced mobility or disability to join hiking excursions or running activities with the help of at least two guides.
“Sometimes they have a few individuals who are disabled join the club. [Members] in the club are trained to help disabled people use the machinery during a hike,” says Pierobon.
For example, the club was able to use the joelette to aid a member with polio participate in a hike.
And the club often offers its help and expertise during emergencies. After the 2016 earthquake destroyed 80 percent of Amatrice in southcentral Italy, the Urbino chapter helped restore farming operations and raised funds to aid the many post-storm homeless.
“We intervene in social issues when we come to know about it,” Duro said, “ultimately giving hope to the hopeless.”
When asked how close the community aspect among the members of the Urbino chapter is, Duro shook his head in silence until uttering, “very, very close.”
Translation of interviews and other language assistance by University of Urbino students Lisa Oliva, Liliana Cogliandro, Beatrice Burani.
Video by Sarah Detwiler & Zahra Sandhu
