Slow tourism in Sicily: why to choose it and how best to experience it
Slow tourism in Sicily is also confirmed in 2022 as the travel trend par excellence. This is an important fact, as it reveals how travelers visiting the island are eager to experience the beauty of Trinacria, yet prefer slower pace and closer contact with traditions. But also greater immersion in nature, for example through certain types of sports, which we will discover in the second part of this article.
Let’s start: what is slow tourism?
Slow tourism is a philosophy that aims at the total involvement of the traveler discovering the territory and little-known locations while respecting local cultures and traditions. I advantages for the vacationer cover several aspects, including:
- greater emotional involvement with the locations visited;
- personal enrichment;
- More time to enjoy the tourist experience in serenity.
The slow travel of the experiential type, moreover, can be a reason to counteract some negative traits of mass tourism, as it offers environmental and cultural benefits. By preventing specific destinations from becoming tourist destinations with facilities that are often unable to counteract the heavy flow of visitors, there will be less waste of natural resources, while also favoring environmentally sustainable means of transportation such as bicycles or horses.
Slow tourism in Sicily is made up of small things, unique landscapes and unknown locations often involved in activities such as trekking, bicycle touring and climbing.
But also the gastronomy is included, made up of traditional dishes that are often forgotten, but which in the small Sicilian villages are also revived by virtue of the welcome and hospitality that distinguish this beautiful land.
Why choose “slow tourism”
Choose slow tourism in Sicily and beyond, means, therefore, to enhance the quality and immersive experience of the visitor. This is done with respect for people and tradition as well as the environment and ecosystem. Then, to create this combination and encourage the discovery of the area, surely the sports is one of the activities that promotes that slowness that identifies this form of tourism.
Practicing slow tourism, in fact, allows you to disconnect from the hectic daily routine and to devote time to one’s mental and physical well-being. This is also growing culturally, discovering little-known locations.
Traveling slowly by favoring, for example, horseback riding or more adrenaline-pumping sports such as climbing, allows you to appreciate nature but also to defend and preserve the authenticity of places.
In particular, the Sicily is one of those lands where the philosophy of sustainable and experiential tourism is fulfilled. In fact, there are many sports and other activities that allow the (Re)discovery of the natural and scenic beauty of the area. Just think of the Magna Via Francigena, listed by “The Guardian” as one of the 10 paths considered most worth walking throughout Italy. And how not to mention the prehistoric sites of Thapsos and Pantalica where to practice cyclotourism and hydrotrekking.
How to experience slow tourism in Sicily
Practicing outdoor sports while increasing one’s cultural background also implies the presence of services and suitable accommodations, generally obtained from the recovery of historic buildings and palaces in small villages and converted into b&b. Relaxation and the search for tranquility, in fact, are precisely among the advantages of slow tourism.
This is joined by the food and wine sector, made up of festivals and events dedicated, designed to promote the recovery and enhancement of local products.
But what are some of the activities That enable an understanding of the area by practicing sports? They certainly fit the formula of slow tourism practicable in Sicily:
- the trekking and the walks;
- the cycle tourism;
- the birdwatching, practicable in the various reserves, parks and oases;
- le horseback riding, a slow tourism proposal that can be implemented thanks to the many bridleways in the Sicilian territory;
- climbing and related sports.
Climbing in slow tourism: adrenaline and discovery of the Sicilian territory
One of the emblems of slow tourism in Sicily certainly is theclimbing. This physical activity makes it possible to slow down and to measure one’s own endurance. Also, practicing this sport means total immersion in nature, through the contact of one’s body with the wall and grasping the rock with one’s hands. In fact, it is symbolic of the respect for the environment but also direct knowledge of it.
The Sicilian territory lends itself well to this type of activity thanks to the presence of more than 50 crags With sheer walls directly overlooking the sea. In addition, the Sunshine Island boasts 2500 hours of light., allowing climbing even during the coldest months.
There are different types of climbing, such as, for example, deep water soloing, bouldering and trad, and each technique requires theaccompaniment of experienced people. In this we at Magna Sicilia can only recommend Mapo Tapo.
The Mapo Tapo Experience
Mapo Tapo is an organization of outdoor sports enthusiasts who organize rock climbing trips for all levels, with a focus on responsible tourism, respect for the environment and support for local climbing communities. On the Sicilian territory they are active mainly in thewestern area, between Trapani and San Vito Lo Capo, whose coastline boasts cliffs such as Salinella, Cathedral of the Desert, and Cala Firriato, where you can practice deep water solo.
At Custonaci team of experts will take you on a discovery of the Never Sleeping Wall, described as one of the 7 most fascinating in the world. Suitable for all amateurs of the sport is the crag of Cerriolo Park. It overlooks Cornino Bay in which to dive once you reach the summit. Not far away is the crag of Point Break, from which, once the climbing is finished, a visit to the nearby Erice.
Mapo Tapo’s experts will also take you on a discovery of the east coast of Sicily, with its Stockholm crag near Taormina, volcano wall climbs and more than 400 climbing routes among the small towns of the province of Syracuse.
And this is but a foretaste of the trips organized by Mapo Tapo in Sicily!
Living the Sicily is a unique experience of smells, traditions, history, art and culture. But to know the true nature of this island, surely we can only advise you to do so by slowing down the pace and practicing sports, respecting the environment and the little-known local communities.
by Annapasqua Logrieco
with the collaboration of Clarissa Marchese