VTC | Scanno

The First Serbian in Scanno, But Not the Last. Long Live Tourism!

You’ve probably watched movies where a stranger arrives in a small town and after a few encounters, embarks on an adventure that changes their perception of the world. This happened to me while working on the project “Experimental Tourism Soft Skills and Marketing: The Real Tourism Turning Point”. I had the opportunity to visit the town of Scanno in the renowned Abruzzo region.

Thanks to the internet, I had seen how Scanno looked, hinting at a certain magic within it. After a short and relatively inexpensive (if booked in advance and off-season) flight to Rome, Alessandro one of the hosts, who greeted me at the airport, and I headed by car to this place in Italy. The journey of nearly 200 km was very exciting, as after the highway, a stretch of road with narrow switchbacks awaited us. We traveled at night and arrived in Scanno, where we stayed in a small hotel that has been welcoming tourists for many years. The hotel is decorated in a rustic style with charming rooms, where despite its long-standing existence, everything operates according to old principles and mechanics. I was particularly pleased to find many guidelines in the rooms that follow the criteria of sustainable tourism (GSTI).

conserve energy and water,
reuse towels,
use biodegradable soaps, etc.

There are about 35 hotels in Scanno, of which only a few are operational. Why? I’ll reveal that later.

Scanno, LocalEvolution

The Magic Begins

When I woke up in the morning and looked out the window, there were deer and roe deer in front of the hotel. I believe not everyone has experienced such a scene, and it’s precisely this image that embodies the magic I mentioned earlier. The next scene was the high mountain behind which the sun rays were slowly appearing. Suddenly, the whole town was illuminated, and this scene also left me breathless. With its old town of interesting architecture where not a single modern building protrudes, Scanno was in full glory.

On the way to the venue where the workshop was held, I immediately felt the Italian atmosphere and style that we all recognize. In the square, locals were enjoying their first espresso and getting ready for work. The large number of narrow streets, beloved architecture, and newly opening shops accompanied by neighbors’ chatter in melodic Italian gave this town a complete charm. Today, we won’t talk about work and the workshop that took place in a former church in the town center, you can read about that experience here (link to the news).

Morning atmosphere, VTC

Lake Scanno

In the afternoon, with my hosts Francesco, Guglielmo, and Alessandro, I went to see the landmarks of this area, Lake Scanno, after which the town is named. The distinctive feature of this attraction is the lake’s shape resembling a heart. According to the hosts, the lake and its surroundings have great potential, but much effort is still needed. Just like in Serbia, our colleagues from Italy struggle with investing in infrastructure, overgrown grass, ownerless plots, and misunderstandings. But enthusiasm fueled by vision and plans gave me hope that this place will soon become one of the leading tourist attractions in the region. We parted ways to rest briefly at the hotel and arranged to meet at the square, at the bistro.

Lake Scanno, LocalEvolution

The First Serbian in Scanno, But Not the Last

Already at the entrance to the mentioned local, I was greeted by the smiling faces of Francesco’s friends who were sipping Campari, Aperol spritz, and white wine with tasty bites. I quickly adapted and immersed myself in the local story, and the friendly bartender behind the counter, when asked by the host if there had ever been a Serbian in the local, replied that there hadn’t. Everyone shouted “the first Serbian in Scanno,” and I added, “but not the last.” It was a good start to the evening.

Festival La Notte Nera!, izvor LocalEvolution

Later, we went to a log cabin where, as Francesco says, the best pizza is served, along with many other specialties. Before we entered, Francesco told me to pay attention to a large pole set up as a ski lift and heaps of discarded chairs. He told me that there used to be many tourists here, but due to global warming, there hasn’t been enough snow for the past eight years, causing hotels to close at this time of year. Their idea is to revitalize the ski lift to take tourists to the top, thereby creating an unforgettable experience.

Great Italian gastronomy

In the restaurant, I had the opportunity to try five types of pizza with zucchini blossoms, prosciutto, mozzarella, and I particularly liked the small skewers – skewers of liver and ship cutlets. In the end, they brought out just as many different grappas and other digestifs. We slowly headed home and barely managed to separate Francesco from the restaurant owner, to whom he was trying to explain more about our project. On the way back, he told me that the best deals are made in the evening (I thought, here’s another similarity between Serbs and Italians).

Invaluable Local Experience

On the second day of my stay in Scanno, I experienced another magical moment. It was a true local experience, which our project focuses on, where tourists increasingly want to get to know locals and engage in their everyday lives. Francesco invited me to his home for lunch and told me I was lucky to be there on a Sunday because the table would be richer. It was a great honor and pleasure to sit at the table with his family, meet his parents and two brothers, the third being in Rome. We had fuzile in tomato sauce with Parmesan, soup with delicious veal, then cakes, and of course, espresso.

Later, they showed me their horses, which they love and train because they go riding in the mountains in spring and autumn. This is another tourist product of this area. By riding, they reach a farm where there is no signal, making this type of experience a complete detox from using mobile phones, creating conditions to enjoy the beautiful nature that offers almost ideal conditions for active tourism. At the end of the day, we visited a place where famous cheese is made, and Francesco told me that he got his first job right there. The whole region has developed agritourism led by local entrepreneurs from whom it is possible to learn many things about the principles and tradition of production. At dusk, we headed to Rome and continued to talk about life and tourism along the way.

I discovered not only Scanno but also the people who live in it and give this place its magic.

They say that the real places are the ones you want to return to. What I’m sure of is that I will return to Scanno. Whether with family, friends, or tourists, that decision will be a sweet dilemma. Long live tourism!

Collaboration on the project, from left to right: Alessandro De Min, Francesco Fronterota, Dejan Veselinov, and Guglielmo Carfagnini, source VTC