In a fast-paced world, exploring places, big cities, and one’s own country has been reduced to organized trips, to cities overwhelmed by overtourism, to guided tours that take visitors to the most famous landmarks, whose images decorate the walls of tour operators or fill the glossy pages of specialized magazines. Anyone who has traveled a little often has the illusion of having seen cities and monuments, visited museums and exhibitions, and known the world.
In reality, they have seen but not truly observed; they have looked but not savored the intimate essence of places.
Publisher: Touring, 2026 | 128 pages, paperback
EAN: 9788836585663
This is the ideal book for travelers who, besides enjoying the beauty of cities, love to go beyond the surface, listen to the city, and wander slowly through the streets and hidden corners to discover the stories of the people and spirits who once lived there.
Cities speak to those willing to listen, sharing stories of places, people, and events unknown to most and now forgotten. Slowly wandering through hidden corners, alleys lined with grand, decaying buildings or small homes, and artisan workshops far from the hustle and bustle of mass tourism allows you to experience profound emotions and savour the joy of discovery.
Carofiglio believes that what matters more than places is the gaze, and maintains that “travelling means questioning places, not celebrating them.“
Encouraging readers to venture beyond the usual routes, the author takes us on a stroll through the alleys of Palermo, the neighborhoods of Bari Vecchia, Bologna, Venice, and the adventures of Giordano Bruno, then on to Naples, Rome, Cagliari, Florence, Milan, Turin, and Genoa, in search of lost memories and the discovery of new inspirations. A sort of sentimental diary, a tool for understanding cultural, social, and landscape aspects, leading to the intimate essence of even unknown places.
It is the ideal book for those travelers who, in addition to enjoying the beauty of cities, love to go beyond the surface, listen to the city, wander slowly through the streets and hidden corners to discover the deeds of the men and ghosts who lived there.
Happy reading!
Credits
Maria Beatrice Lupi is a naturalist and an expert in training, sustainable development planning, participatory methodologies, and European planning. She is currently engaged in dissemination and education for sustainability.
Translated by Maria Antonietta Sessa
