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What it is about
June 2024 saw the start of In Appennino, a new project for the regeneration of places that Sineglossa is carrying out together with the Unione dei Comuni dell’Appennino Bolognese (Union of Municipalities of the Bolognese Apennines), to tell the story of what it is like today to live in a rural and mountain area such as the Bolognese mountains. The project is part of a series of place regeneration activities curated by Sineglossa dedicated to inhabiting mountain areas, which has already begun with the production of the guide Ussita. Monti Sibillini (2020, Ediciclo), with the creation of a land art itinerary in Frontignano di Ussita and the production of Mutazioni (mutations). Reconstruction and stories of modern utopia, the podcast written by Sara Sartori.
The goal is to involve the locals in a collective tale of the territory by producing a guide for the Nonturismo series, the publishing initiative co-directed by Sineglossa and published by Ediciclo, which, for the last six years, has been collecting the visions, places and stories chosen by local communities and distributing them in the form of fully-fledged tourist guides, with maps and itineraries, to promote tourism not as the consumption of a pleasure but as the experience of an encounter with the spirit of a place. Among the recent publications in the series are guides dedicated to the city of Ancona and the Marche Apennines (2024).
Why a guide in the Bologna Apennines
The project In the Apennines involves collaboration with writer Wu Ming 2, former editor of the volume Bologna. Unseen Detours Told by the Inhabitants (Ediciclo, 2022). Thus the writer, who was born and lives in Bologna, explains what transformations the context of the Bolognese Apennines is experiencing:
“The Bolognese Apennines are experiencing a time of great transformation. The depopulation of villages, which seemed unrelenting, has come to a halt in recent years, and in some areas a real counter-trend. It is no longer just families of foreign origin who choose to live in the mountains, because rents are lower than in the city. Young couples and small communities are also moving away from Bologna, not only with their residence, but also for their work, school and cultural activities. The «restanza» phenomenon is also spreading in the Reno, Setta, Sambro and Samoggia valleys. A small revolution that can only bring great socio-economic benefits if supported with adequate services and projects: the right to study, employment, mobility, health, tourism. The latter can be an important vehicle for knowledge and appreciation, as long as it does not operate like an extractive industry. Climate change is forcing us to rethink the old models of downhill skiing, ski holidays and «vacationing». Paths such as the “Via degli Dei” (The Way of the Gods) show great interest in the landscapes of the Apennines, but they focus on a strip of land. In addition to multiplying them, it is essential to put invisible good practices on the map, alternatives to land abandonment, housing strategies that do not use up land, mutualistic networks, people who care for the highlands every day, with important repercussions in the valley as well. The «non-tourist guide», created through a collective process, creates links between the people who write it and gives them the opportunity to tell the story of places from the point of view of those who keep them alive, contributing to making it more powerful”
Wu Ming 2 for In Appennino project
Interviews in progress
Over the first half of September, the anthropologists Brenda Benaglia and Eleonora Adorni, facilitators of the community editorial offices for the Nonturismo guides, carried out about twenty interviews with selected subjects from the area to explore some significant aspects of life in the Apennines, with a focus on the sense of community, the identity of the territory, the sustainability of living in the mountains, and the relationship with the city of Bologna. During the course of the interviews, reflections on the ‘genius loci’, the spirit of the place, were also brought up, inviting the people interviewed to identify the distinctive and characterising features of the Bolognese Apennine territory.
Partners and founders
Nonturismo Appennino Bolognese is curated by Sineglossa in collaboration with Unione dei Comuni dell’Appennino Bolognese (Union of Municipalities of the Bolognese Apennines), with the support of EIT Urban Mobility through the EIT NEB Enhance call of the EIT Community New European Bauhaus. EIT Urban Mobility is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a European Union organisation. The guide is published by Ediciclo.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.