How to discover the hidden treasures of the Etruscan Maremma
Today together with Enrico Papini (Il Sentierante) we will introduce you to a fun way to discover the most hidden corners of our territory.
Wherever we go, during our always too short holidays, we can only discover a very small fragment of the past and present of the places we see.
Due to the limited amount of time at our disposal, our experiences almost always focus on the best-known and most significant beauties of an area, while more secluded places that are often more fascinating but less accessible are inevitably ignored. Minor treasures of beauty but still great witnesses of the skills and resilience of men and of the strength and majesty of nature that could help us to better understand the history and culture of a place.
Especially when it comes to our Maremma and the Tuff Civilization area which is rich in history but left out of the main economic drivers, it often happens that nature takes back its own spaces, ending up hiding and sometimes destroying these ancient proofs, thus gradually losing knowledge of it until their total disappearance.
This problem is common to the whole of Italy due to the enormous historical heritage that has befallen us. So how can we do something if not to safeguard this precious areas, at least to make it known as much as possible before it disappears completely?
Making these hidden treasures known and trying to preserve them as much as possible has long been a personal goal of mine.
However, in addition to the effort spent to make some places usable and easily accessible, there remains the difficulty of how to make them known.
Over the years I have looked for different solutions, but then, as often happens, in a somewhat fortuitous way, in the end I found a system… fun and above all with an international resonance: GEOCACHING.
This is the perfect solution to solve the problem of poorly signed trails and at the same time allows you to get to know and reach a very large audience of people of all nationalities. For the enthusiasts who follow this game it even becomes a trigger that shapes their holidays, making the geocaching a promoter of the area.
But what is geocaching?
Geocaching is a sort of global treasure hunt where the treasure is nothing more than a container of various shapes and sizes with a small notepad inside on which you write your name once found.
These containers are hidden in places that are generally touristic, naturalistic or of historical interest, communicating the coordinates to the GPS to be able to trace them.
Well, now I just have to describe to you what geocaching is in a little more detail.
The activity is practiced today using a free mobile app that opens a map of the area where you are positioned and shows you the “caches”, or treasures, present in that area.
Each cache is described in more or less detail and in addition to the classic riddle to find it, you are provided with the GPS coordinates to reach the goal.
At this point all you have to do is choose the one that triggers your curiosity the most and try to reach it.
By downloading the application you will be surprised by the extension of this game and nice scenarios and unexpected encounters will allow you to visit particular places that you would otherwise never have known about.
If some of you at the end of this article ask yourself why a Trekking Guide makes available or makes known a way that allows anyone to independently discover the most hidden beauties of their territory?
The answer is trivial. Making these places or details known is the only possibility of extending their life by a few years or perhaps a decade… and then, a guide always makes the difference even if this is not always understood!
This article was written by Enrico Papini, Trekking Guide, hiker and geocaching and bicycle enthusiast. If you are curious to discover another Maremma with him, you can contact him here!
