It all began on a sunny afternoon eight years ago when together with my dear dead friend and founding member of the local tourist, Tommaso Ristoro, were invited to visit the estate of the Giardini Arimei in Montecorvo. Just crossed the entrance gate of the estate, I realized I was going to live an unforgettable moment and in fact I still have vivid memories of colors, smells and words that told me the story of that place. A place recovered from the ruins of an entrepreneur from Brescia enamored of our island, terraced vineyards, parracine arranged artfully, the cellar carved in the green tuff, barrels, the cross carved on the millstone ... a dive into the past. I, from Panza and 45 years, had never seen it and I have never heard of such a place despite living a few hundred meters away. Absurd! The same feeling that the others felt like me at that time. The same evening telling it to friends of the association, I realized that I was not probably the only one to not know places like that I had visited. Slowly the feeling of discomfort I had Tutto iniziò in un pomeriggio assolato di otto anni fa allorquando insieme alla buonanima del mio amico e socio fondatore della pro loco, Tommaso Ristoro, fummo invitati a visitare la tenuta dei Giardini Arimei a Montecorvo. Appena varcato il cancello d'ingresso della tenuta mi resi conto che stavo per vivere un momento di quelli che poi non si dimenticano più ed infatti ho ancora vivo il ricordo dei colori, dei profumi e delle parole che mi raccontavano della storia di quel posto. Un posto recuperato dalle rovine da un imprenditore del bresciano innamorato della nostra isola, vigneti a terrazzamento, parracine sistemate ad arte, la cantina scavata nel tufo verde, le botti e la barricaia, la croce scolpita sul palmento ...un tuffo nel passato. Possibile che io panzese e ischitano di 45 anni non avessi mai ne visto e ne sentito parlare di un posto simile pur abitando a poche centinaia di metri. Assurdo! E la stessa sensazione credo di non averla provata solo io in quel momento. La sera stessa raccontando la cosa agli amici dell’associazione mi resi conto che probabilmente non ero l'unico di *Leonardo Polito felt was turning into a positive energy and a desire to do something to let everyone know that on our island there are not only the sea, the sun and the hot springs. So talking about it, we discovered that there were those who knew the cellar of Ciro in Noja, the Cellar of Morzariello, that one of Cenatiempo, of Zio Gennaro, and so up to more than ten wineries. Just enough time to see them and put them on a brochure with good pictures, was born the first edition of “Visiting wineries” just for fun and as bet, to see if other islanders and maybe our tourists could be interested in finding places and traditions perhaps a little forgotten. We knew immediately that we had in hands something beautiful and important to promote our island. Therefore, it was that year after year we put on an event, well structured, by adding beyond the wineries and the wine tasting also landscape trails through our wildlife paths, the typical products of our land, the crafts of the past, and then the culture with the Cup of Nestor, folklore and good music. In short, a series of stories, traditions, culture, gastronomy emotions... My dream: I would see one day many tourists choosing in September our island to be accompanied by us, islanders, to rediscover those values and traditions that have made the fortune of our grandparents in the ‘60s. In addition, to regain that sense of welcome and hospitality perhaps partly lost and that has distanced many people who have loved our wonderful island, once pearl of the Mediterranean Sea that deserves to bring back to the top.

Format: 15 x 21 cm
Folding map attached with the signs of the "Neptune's Kingdom" for the marine protected area 30 x 21 cm
Pages: 96
Language: Italian / English

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