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What it’s all about
Starting June 20, the guide Val di Fiastra: Unprecedented Detours Narrated by Locals will be available in bookstores. It’s the sixth volume in the Nontourism series (Ediciclo publisher), born from a namesake project dedicated to travelers who prefer authentic encounters with a place over postcard-perfect experiences.
The Val di Fiastra guide was created by a community editorial team that, in July 2024, walked the seven stages of the Anello della Val di Fiastra—a circular route in the Marche region beginning at the Abbey of Fiastra and passing through the villages of Loro Piceno, Sant’Angelo in Pontano, San Ginesio, Ripe San Ginesio, Colmurano, and Urbisaglia.
This guide was conceived and curated by Sineglossa in collaboration with Borgofuturo and Anello della Val di Fiastra as part of the cultural and social regeneration project Qui Val di Fiastra. Funded by Next Generation EU PNRR M1C3 (“Attractiveness of Historic Villages”), it was coordinated by Inabita and carried out by the municipalities of Ripe San Ginesio, Colmurano, and Loro Piceno.
The production involved associations like Con in faccia un po’ di sole and Azimut In Cammino, anthropologists Eleonora Adorni and Brenda Benaglia, illustrator Claudia Palmarucci, graphic studio Atelier Tatanka, along with numerous locals and contributors forming a “nomadic community editorial team.” (Alessandro Picucci, Alessio Bargoni, Claudio Cappella, Fulvia Calcagni, Giulia Olivi, Luca Malatesta, Matteo Giacomelli, Milena Compagnucci, Nicola Paolucci, Piero Chinellato, Serena Marchionni, Silvia Ballini). The volume is curated by writer Wu Ming 2.
To introduce the guide to local communities, Sineglossa and Anello della Val di Fiastra have organized a series of events coinciding with the Borgofuturo festival. It kicks off on Friday, June 20, with a free presentation featuring Sineglossa, Anello della Val di Fiastra, and the illustrator (6:30 pm in Ripe San Ginesio). This is followed by three free guided walks tracing the guide’s itineraries, hosted by the community team and featuring readings from the guide:
June 29 in Colmurano (6:30–9:30 pm)
July 3 in Sant’Angelo in Pontano (5:30–7:30 pm)
July 4 in Loro Piceno (5–7 pm)
All walks are free, limited in capacity, and require registration via Eventbrite. The guide will also be available for purchase on-site.
A Nomadic Guide
Like every guide in the Nontourism series, the Val di Fiastra edition is built around an “identity” theme—a genius loci that, according to local residents, uniquely defines the area. In the Nontourism methodology, this theme is referred to as the “spirit of the place,” and for Val di Fiastra, that spirit is nomadism.
The community editorial team itself embraced this nomadic approach: 14 people who, unlike the workshop-based process used for previous guides, walked while writing and wrote while walking, covering the entire ring trail in an intensive one-week journey. The guide’s three itineraries reflect this same nomadic spirit, allowing readers to explore the valley by retracing the steps—and the experience—of the team that brought them to life.
We chose to walk in order to awaken dormant spirits with the rhythmic pace of our steps, and then to pause and imagine the future of these places. Moving slowly allows us to grasp their meaning and to pass through them with the eyes of a non-tourist—because by slowing down, we become part of the everyday life of the valley and those who live in it.
Each route in the guide is accompanied by a visual narrative created by illustrator Claudia Palmarucci, who joined the final three days of the journey. With her painterly style, she brought to life the characters, hamlets, natural elements, and archaeological features that animate the guide’s stages.
Program
Book presentation
Friday, June 20 at 6:30 PM
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, Ripe San Ginesio (MC)
Free entry, no reservation required
With Sineglossa (Tommaso Sorichetti), the municipalities of Ripe San Ginesio, Loro Piceno, and Colmurano, Inabita (Lucia Barchetta), Anello della Val di Fiastra (Ruben Marucci), and Claudia Palmarucci (illustrator of the guide).
Copies of the guide will be available for purchase on-site.
Walk around Colmurano
Sunday, June 29, 6:30–9:00 PM
Starting point: Piazza Umberto I, Colmurano (meeting time: 6:30 PM)
Arrival: Monte Loreto / Piazza Umberto I (loop route)
Duration: 2.5 hours
Length: 5.1 km
Difficulty: T (Tourist level)
Elevation gain: 78 m
FREE ENTRY — REGISTRATION REQUIRED VIA EVENTBRITE
Walk around Sant'Angelo in Pontano
Thursday, July 3, 5:30–7:30 PM
Starting point: Piazza Mazzini, Sant’Angelo in Pontano (meeting time: 5:30 PM)
Arrival: Fonte de lu Leò (loop route)
Length: 3.5 km
Difficulty: T (Tourist level)
Elevation gain: 140 m
Equipment: Comfortable closed-toe shoes (no smooth soles, no sandals) are required, as the route includes a descent to the Fosso delle Fontanelle and a short but steep uphill section through the woods.
FREE ENTRY — REGISTRATION REQUIRED VIA EVENTBRITE
Walk around Loro Piceno
Friday, July 4, 5:00–7:00 PM
Starting point: Porta Pia Arch, Loro Piceno (meeting time: 5:00 PM)
Arrival: Porta Pia Arch (loop route)
Length: 4 km
Difficulty: T (Tourist level)
Elevation gain: 140 m
FREE ENTRY — REGISTRATION REQUIRED VIA EVENTBRITE
