For our final Nature Positive Tourism training programs of the year, we made our way back to the beautiful mountains of Abruzzo in Italy. We had eight fantastic participants from across Europe including Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and the UK.
One of our participants, Claudia Costa, journaled about her experience. She has been kind enough to share it with us in hope to inspire more people to join future MOYO training, and expand the Nature Positive movement as far as possible. Enjoy!
Off to the mountains
It’s day one of our Nature Positive Tourism training and it’s a (rare) grey and lightly rainy morning. After making my way to Fiumicino Airport in Rome to meet the rest of the group, we were then transferred to the town of Pescasseroli, about 2 hours and 30 minutes north.
During the transfer, we had plenty of time to get to know each other and the reasons that brought us together. Sustainable tourism, anthropology, birds, photography, Scottish Highlands, mindfulness, and many other exciting topics were discussed as we left the Roman traffic behind and entered an increasingly green and mountainous landscape, along an increasingly winding road.
Simon and Aukje welcomed us to the lovely art nouveau-styled hotel Villino Quintiliani, which would be our base for the rest of the week. After dropping our luggage, we were soon ready for our first hike up a small hill on the side of town, where we sat down among old castle ruins to enjoy a packed lunch with a view.
Walking among the pine trees, stopping to snap a photo of Pescasseroli from above, I felt so lucky to be there—and thought of my colleagues, family and friends back in the city, going about their daily lives in a frenzy. It was not a conscious thought or pledge I made to myself, but as soon as I set foot in Pescasseroli, my inner clock set itself automatically on a different rhythm—as if I stepped out of time completely to just be in the here and now.
We made our way back to the hotel for our first Nature Positive session on the ground, around a cosy fireplace with hot drinks. We started with a quick recap of the concepts covered in the Online Training, preparing us and putting into context the many experiences we would have during the week. We later learned that November in Pescasseroli is considered low season, so most eateries and shops are closed. Only one week later though, at the beginning of December, the town would come alive with visitors hitting the slopes or wanting to spend a “winter wonderland” weekend out of town. This was a perfect way to start talking about the impact tourism can have on local communities during low season. With our bellies full and our hearts content, it was time for an early night, as a day packed with adventure was waiting for us the following morning.
Out in the field, on the way to Rifugio Terraegna
Day two started with a delicious breakfast, where my fellow participants learnt that Italians sometimes eat cake for breakfast! We then met Valeria Rosselli from Wildlife Adventures, a local tour operator specialized in nature tourism that MOYO has been working with for several years. After a short drive out of town, we gathered at the beginning of the path that would take us in a couple of hours to our destination: the off-grid mountain cabin Rifugio Terraegna. Valeria showed us a map of the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise and highlighted the area we were in, to help us understand the route we would take.
The discussion quickly landed on the topic of wolves and coexistence with humans. “In Pescasseroli, there have been a couple of hundred dogs eaten by wolves in less than a year. My cousin himself lost his dog (a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog) to wolves. They are very clever animals and they managed to climb a 2 metre fence to get into the dog’s enclosure”, Valeria told us on our very first stop. Besides wolves, Abruzzo is home to the “king” of large carnivores in Italy: the Marsican brown bear, a very rare species (only around 100 individuals remaining), that’s endemic to the Central Apennines. The park and several local organisations have been doing an incredible job in protecting this key species and supporting coexistence with local communities, which is one of the reasons why MOYO chose this area for its Field Training.
We continued to ascend through quiet woods and open fields, stopping to take photos of mushrooms and wild flowers, or to identify red fox footprints in the mud, before sitting down to scour the open landscape for signs of the possible presence of “the king”. Despite seeing no movement in the valley below us, knowing that those woods were its natural habitat was enough to make us feel its presence all around us.
After about 4 hours, we caught sight of the Rifugio, with its smoking chimney and a human silhouette moving in the distance. The thought of a cosy fireplace and a home-cooked meal waiting for us inside, prepared by our host Chiara, warmed our hearts. We spent the afternoon deep in group conversations, led by Simon and Aukje, covering Nature Positive concepts—such as community & stakeholders—the impact of tourism on local enterprise, and enterprise opportunities in nature. Before dinner, we gathered around a campfire under the stars and enjoyed a nice aperitivo, together with funny stories and plenty of laughter. Our first day spent in nature was a wonderful experience, little did but I know the surprises still in store for us.
A mystical experience in the forest and local encounters
After a well-deserved good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, day 3 started with a climb up a hill just outside the Rifugio, commencing our journey back to “civilisation”. Valeria encouraged us to follow our own pace and try to take in the sounds, the smells and the feelings of nature. She also invited us to walk in silence, especially when we reached an ancient forest at the top, with centuries old beech trees. As soon as we entered the forest, I was overwhelmed by the feeling of being home. We moved around in total silence, with just the sound of autumn leaves and branches cracking under our feet, and we were all totally free to enjoy this moment in the way we desired.
Some of us touched the bark of the trees, some laid down on the leaves to observe the sky through the bare branches, others wandered observing the moss and fallen trunks. From where I was, at the top of the path, I could see everything and everyone. But I was not watching. I was completely still, standing in the exact spot I arrived at. At first my heart was beating very fast from the climb, but after it calmed down all I could hear was total silence. Never before in my life had I experienced something like that: a lack of noise from outwith, but also within. All the noise of everyday life had gone, the surplus stimulation that prevents us from getting back to ourselves and rediscovering our place in the world. I was at home and at the same time in someone else’s home, I was a guest in the forest and did not want to disturb, but at the same time I knew I also belonged. I tried to listen for wildlife nearby and thought that, among those majestic trees, there must be dozens of tiny eyes and ears doing just the same. Creatures of all shapes and sizes being perfectly still, listening, smelling out the air and watching us too.
We traversed many different terrains, from a misty plateau which could well have been in Scotland, to sandy ground originating from the erosion of an ancient seabed, where we could identify the track of wolves and red foxes. Valeria also showed us a fossil of ancient corals imprinted on a stone, and it was amazing to try to visualise what the land we stood on must have looked like many centuries before. We could now see and hear the road below us, and the thought of re-joining civilisation was quite bittersweet. When we met the main path leading us back to our van, I felt as if we were leaving a magical and sacred world behind, a world that taught me so much without uttering a single word.
We had a packed program for the rest of the day: we met Enterprise Manager, Valerio Reale, from Rewilding Apennines in Ortona dei Marsi, before joining volunteer coordinator, Dara Brodey, to assist with the removal of discarded fence wire on the mountain, that would be preventing bears and other animals from safely crossing through ecological corridors. The team work was really impressive, and it was nice to see that such an activity, could have a very positive impact on nature and local organisations.
Valerio then introduced us to the conservation work led by Rewilding Apennines in Abruzzo. We talked about coexistence, rewilding of river ecosystems, barrier removal and possible innovations to compensate farmers and cattle breeders who have lost income due to wolves or bears. Time was quickly up, as we needed to move to our next experience: a visit to the local cidery Melagusto, the perfect example of how local entrepreneurs can be actively involved and support coexistence and rewilding.
Project presentations and a final surprise in the wild
Our last full day in Pescasseroli was dedicated to pitching our personal projects to Aukje, Simon and the rest of the group. Each of us presented a new nature positive concept in an area of our choice, focusing on impact on nature and people, and what would make it unique. Lots of super interesting ideas, touching personal stories and inspiring examples were shared and discussed, and we all took the chance to ask each other questions to improve or challenge our projects.
Aukje and Simon then urged us to gear up one last time for a final outdoor adventure led by Valeria in the nearby “La Difesa” forest, where a surprise awaited us. We left town just before sunset, on time to see the sky turn pink as we started out on the path.
As darkness settled upon us, our senses grew sharper and we followed in each other’s footsteps along the track in silence, just like wolves would do. As the stars became brighter and the silhouette of the mountains started fading in the dark, we donned our head torches and got back on our path, not knowing what awaited us next. We crossed a small puddle of water where many wolf tracks were very well visible in the mud and then, another unexpected surprise. The sign that the “king” had walked the same path as us not too long before, a paw print of a bear cub, as Valeria explained.
Time to celebrate and say goodbye
After a week of experiences we’ll cherish for the rest of our lives, it was time to wrap up and prepare to go home. Before saying goodbye, Simon and Aukje presented us with our course certificates and took us for a last treat in town. As our five days in Abruzzo drew to a close and we drove back to Rome, I realised I had never lived so many different experiences all together before. For me, the most important learning I took away from this amazing course was that whatever positive impact we can have on nature, nature will always have a bigger one on us. Being “out there”, under the stars, among centuries old trees and among people so different from myself, was the most powerful way MOYO could make us understand the importance of the Nature Positive principles, without the need for words.
A heartfelt thank you to all the crew, who made this possible for all of us.
If Claudia has piqued your interest in participating in our Nature Positive training, you can find out more about our 2025 programs here.
Words written by Claudia Costa
Images taken by Hayley Whyte and Aukje van Gerven
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