LIFE BEYOND TOURISM BLOG


LIFE BEYOND TOURISM AT THE JOSP FEST!!

Dear Blog friends, Welcome back to the Life Beyond Tourism® Blog!!

Life Beyond Tourism® is back in activity, and hopes that your had a good start of the year!

We would like to share with you a very interesting event that we have recently participated in!

From the 15th to the 19th of January 2009 we attended the first edition of the JOSP Festival in Rome! JOSP stays for Journey of the Spirits, and it was organized by the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, the Vatican’s institutional unit of the Vicariate of Rome, Department of the Holy See. The JOSP Fest celebrated not simply the pilgrimage, but particularly any traveling experience that “stimulates and contributes” to one’s spiritual and cultural growth. We could  met with a various number of public such as tourist industry’s operators, Italian and international Institutions, and students.

Did you participate in the JOSP Fest? Did you ever make a pilgrimage or a trip that particularly inspired you? Tell us your story!



ISLAMIC-ITALIAN SYMPOSIUM IN FLORENCE
December 1, 2008, 6:35 pm
Filed under: News

Dear Blog Friends,

During the next days (December 3rd-4th) there will be a very interesting conference in Florence about architectural education and, in particular, about the problems of Islamic architectural heritage preservation.

The conference will be broadcasted live at the following page (installation of software RealPlayer is needed):

http://www.csiaf.unifi.it/CMpro-v-p-30.html

 

 

 

Here are the details of the conference:

 

 

 

 

Islamic-Italian Symposium

 

Architectural education

and the problems of Islamic architectural heritage preservation


 
Florence, December 3rd-4th, 2008 

University of Florence, Faculty of Architecture,

Department of Architectural Design

 

Promoted by 

 

 

 

Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco - Florence

Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction - Baku

University of Florence Faculty of Architecture Department of Architectural Design

 

 

 

 

 

Organisation by:

Promo Florence Events

 

 

 

 

The international conference has been possible thanks to the co-operation of

VIVAHOTELS

Art in Our Heart

Here is the detailed programme: 

Program

 

Monday, December 1st, 2008

Arrival of the participants to the Vivahotel Fleming (Viale Guidoni, 87, Florencewww.vivahotels.com)

 

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

h. 10.00: Visiting the Palazzo Pitti museums

h. 14.00: Visiting the Uffizi Gallery

h. 19.00: Vivahotel Alexander (Viale Guidoni, 101)

Welcome dinner

 

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

Scientific Program

Library of the Department of Architectural Design

University of Florence

(address: Viale Gramsci, 42)

 

h. 9.15: registration

h. 9.30: opening and beginning of the works

Greetings by:

·          Ulisse Tramonti

·          Emma Mandelli

·          Gulchohra Mammadova

·          Paolo Del Bianco

 

h. 9.45: Paolo Del Bianco - ITALY

·          Presentation of the Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco’s activity

·          Presentation of the research Intercultural Dialogue: Life Beyond Tourism

 

 

Session I

General aspects of preservation of architectural heritage: current situation

Moderator: Salamzade Artegin – AZERBAIJAN

 

h. 10.40-10.55: Mammadova GulchohraAZERBAIJAN

Situation with restoration and preservation of the Islamic Architectural Heritage in Azerbaijan

 

h. 11.00-11.15: Paola Grifoni – ITALY

Operational and institutional instruments in Italy: the Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici, Paesaggistici, Storici, Artistici ed Etnoantropologici per le province di Firenze, Pistoia, Prato

 

h. 11.20-11.35: Vincenzo Vaccaro – ITALY

Operational and institutional instruments in Italy: the Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici, Paesaggistici, Storici, Artistici ed Etnoantropologici per le province di Firenze, Pistoia, Prato

 

h. 11.35-11.50:  coffee break

 

h. 11.50-12.05:  Bakhshaliyeva Govhar – AZERBAIJAN

Islamic Architectural Monuments in the context of global culture

 

h. 12.10-12.25:. Wail Houssin and Rasha Masry – SYRIA

Theoretical and practical studies in conservation the urban architecture heritage. Documentation, methods of restoration and preservation “Damascus and Aleppo old cities as an example

 

h. 12.30-12.45: Carlo Francini - ITALY

The management plan of the Florence historical centre – UNESCO World Heritage of Florence

 

h. 12.50-13.15: conclusion

 

h. 13.15-15.00: break for lunch

 

h. 15.00- 15.15: Luigi Zangheri - ITALY

The Cultural Heritage and the activity of ICOMOS

 

h. 15.20-15.35: Emma MandelliITALY

Knowledge for the Protection of the architectural heritage

 

h. 15.40-15.55: Abdullayeva Nargiz - AZERBAIJAN

Transportation problems of historic towns of Azerbaijan

 

h. 16.00-16.15: Abdullayev Akif – AZERBAIJAN

Baku-History and problems of transitional period

 

h. 16.20–16.35: Roberto Corazzi – ITALY

Theme for an International congress in 2010: from domes in the world to the Brunelleschi dome

 

h. 16.40-16.50: Christine Estef – France

Session II

Instruments for the Protection

project and conservation: technology and materials

Moderator: Maria Teresa BartoliITALY

 

h. 16.45-17.00: Nina Avramidou – ITALY

Project and conservation: technology and materials

 

h. 17.05-17.20: Ibrahim Atac – TURKEY

A New approach to analyze, understand and education: thus preserving the Classic Ottoman Mosque within the light of a shape grammar

 

h. 17.25-17.40:  Mohammad Reza Malek – IRAN

A context-aware mobile geoinformation system for cultural heritage and tourism

 

h. 17.45-18.00: conclusion

 

 

Thursday, December 4 th 2008, thursday

Library of the Department of Architectural Design

University of Florence

(address: Viale Gramsci, 42)

 

Session III

Architectural education and preservation of heritage

Moderator: Hajiyeva Sabina - AZERBAIJAN

 

h. 9.00-9.15: Marco Bini - italy

The university system in the Florence Faculty of Architecture

 

h. 9.20-9.35:  Alessandra Griffo - italy

Conservation, technology education: the activity of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure of Florence

 

h. 9.40-9.55: Mammadova Gulchohra – AZERBAIJAN

Innovation in architectural education in Azerbaijan

 

h. 10.00-10.10: Abdullayeva Nargiz - AZERBAIJAN

Education by AzUAC of specialists in the field of architecture

and construction for Islamic countries

 

h. 10.15-10.25: Hajiyeva Sabina - AZERBAIJAN

International projects in architectural education in AzUAC

Session IV

Preservation of Islamic architecture heritage: main tendencies, new approaches

Moderator: Oguz Jeylan – TURKEY

 

h. 10.35-10.45: Nevzat Ilhan - TURKEY

Restoration of sultan Bayezid II Mosque & complex, Edirne, Turkey

 

h. 10.50-11.00: Nevzat Ilhan, Yasemin Ince Guney, Hatice Ucar – TURKEY

The problems of preservation in decayed city centres:  the example of the Islamic city of Balakesir

 

h. 11.05-11.15: Salamzade Artegin – AZERBAIJAN

Tradition of Shebeke in architecture of Azerbaijan

 

h. 11.15-11.30:  coffee break

 

h. 11.35-11.45: Gulnara Abdrasilova – KAZAKHSTAN

Modern tendencies of architecture of Almaty City

 

h. 11.50-12.00: Hajiyeva Sabina - AZERBAIJAN

Preservation of architectural heritage of the North-Western District of Azerbaijan

 

h. 12.05-12.15: Oguz Ceylan - TURKEY

An important example from classical ottoman architecture in Istanbul: Fatih Mosque restoration

 

h. 12.20-12.30: Francesco MazzolaITALY

Methods and technology for long life heritage preservation

 

h. 12.35-12.45: Altmane Touileb – ALGERIA

Consolidation of historic buildings affected by an earthquake

 

h. 12.50-13.00: Saverio Mecca – ITALY

An approach to vernacular architectural as immaterial heritage

 

h. 13.00-15.00: break for lunch

 

Session V

Round Table and open discussion (h. 15.00-18.00)

President: Paolo del Bianco – Moderator: Stefano Bertocci

Co-ordinators: Emma Mandelli, Gulchohra Mammadova, Oguz Ceylan, Altmane Touileb, Wail Houssin, Mohammad Reza Malek, Paola Grifoni, Gulnara Abdrasilova

Opening of the discussion

h.18.00: closing

 

h.20.00: Vivahotel Alexander (Viale Guidoni, 101)

Farewell dinner organised by the Honorary Consulate of the Czech Republic in Tuscany (free for speakers)

 

 

Friday, December 5th, 2008

Departure

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



L’arte di girare il mondo

yazd_iran3

Leggere vecchi libri o romanzi di viaggio ambientati in posti lontani,
Far girare mappamondi, aprire mappe,
Ascoltare musiche folkloristiche,
mangiare in ristoranti etnici,
Incontrare amici nei caffé…
Sono abitudini che esercitano al viaggio
e non vanno mai abbandonate,
non diversamente dall’eseguire delle scale su un pianoforte,
fare lanci liberi o meditare.

Phil Cousineau, The Art of Pilgrimage

 

 



“Degree and Profession” and The Tourist City

FIRST INTERNATIONAL REGIONAL FESTIVAL DEGREE&PROFESSION in BAKU, AZERBAIJAN

From the 14th to the 19th of March took place  the first “International Regional Festival – Degree & Profession” in Baku, Azerbaijan, on the subject of  Traditional Islamic Architecture.
Participants from 6 countries came together for four days to listen to conferences and discuss regarding the Architecture and the Conservation of Heritage.
The energy of more then 100 participants, students, graduates, professionals and professors created an event that will be a milestone for the Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation, and its mission “For Intercultural Dialogue – Life Beyond Tourism”, showing how coming together under a common goal can break down the barriers.

More than 25 degree project were presented (Degree, Master, and PhD), and winners were selected to come to Florence for a stage-period: Timur Kiryashov, Nurlan Koishanbaev, Leyla Shiraliyeva and Cavid Mammadov.

Baku is the 2009 Capital of  Islamic Culture!!

JOIN THE FLORENCE EDITION OF DEGREE&PROFESSION
on 14th-18th of NOVEMBER 2009!! ..read more

firenze

Florence, Italy

Dear Blog Friends,

Last week in Florence the Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation promoted an International Festival called Degree & Profession, an important meeting for students, graduates, companies, professors, universities and professionals having the chance to share their own knowledge and experiences.

This Festival was rich of conferences, workshops, and other interesting events related to the worlds of school, workculture, architecture, and, of course, TOURISM.
In particular, there was a very interesting workshop about tourism which was intitled The Tourist City, conducted by the Professor Ray Hutchinson from the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, U.S.A.

tbilisi

Tbilisi, Georgia

The participants to this workshop were people from all over the world, coming from Georgia, America, Italia, Iran, Estonia, Serbia, Russia, etc., and they were all experts in the field of tourism. Their works were all about the relation between their cities of origin and tourism, in the sense that tourism is a very important aspect for the growth of their economy and for a social and cultural growth too.

new-york

New York, U.S.A

It was very interesting to notice how different was the approach of each participant to this argument, and how different was their concept of tourism applied to each one of their cities.
In fact, we can’t talk about New York as a tourist city in the same way as we talk about Tbilisi (the capital of Georgia) as a tourist city, because each place has its own features and characteristics, its history, culture and economy. Therefore, every place has got its own tourism, in the sense that tourism depends on the resources that a particular place can offer to tourists.

For example, New York is a great business city and is so organized and structured that tourists often visit it simply to say “I have been to New York!”. In this case we don’t need to do more to improve tourism in this city or to promote its features because it already does it by itself.
Instead, there are places like Estonia or Iran which are not so well known, which need to be promoted by a different kind of tourism that focuses on their historical, cultural or landascape characteristics.

belgrado_serbia

Belgrado, Serbia

Another interesting point was the intercultural dialogue established by the participants to this workshop. Everyone talked about his country and at the same time interacted and shared his knowledge with the others and learnt about different cultures, cities and realities. They shared their point of view and discussed about different ways of “making tourism” and different experiences and stories.
Again, New York has got a very different culture and history compared to Florence which has got its very personal history too.

yazd_iran

Yazd, Iran

In conclusion, every place in the world is worth to be visited and known because of its own features, culture and history. If we want to avoid mass tourism we should visit both the most famous places and the less famous ones because we could happen to be amazed by the beauty of some of these places!

What do you think about it?

LBT



Viaggi veri

 

“Vorrei essere vissuto al tempo dei viaggi veri
quando offrivano in tutto il suo splendore,
uno spettacolo non ancora infangato, contaminato, maledetto…”

 (Claude Lévi Strauss)

 

Cari amici di blog,
Cosa ne pensate delle parole di Lévi Strauss?
Esistono viaggi veri e viaggi fasulli secondo voi?
A mio parere i viaggi veri sono quelli che esprimono la nostra identità, l’autenticità dei luoghi e delle relazioni che creiamo sul nostro cammino, sono i viaggi che vanno fino in fondo allo spirito di un luogo, che non si fermano alla superficie e all’apparenza, ma scavano dentro cose e persone lasciando un segno e un ricordo indelebile nelle nostre vite.

I viaggi veri sono quelli che abbiamo scelto davvero e che ci cambieranno per sempre.

E voi che ne pensate? Avete fatto esperienze di viaggi veri, finti, o di qualunque altro tipo? Raccontate, raccontate, raccontate!

Buona giornata!

LBT 



Very special guided tours…

Dear blog friends,

You need to know that at the Hotel Pitti Palace al Ponte Vecchio in Florence the theory of LIFE BEYOND TOURISM is being experimented with some very interesting tools and availabilities such as itineraries in the hidden and less known areas of Florence, local dishes and drinks to try at the restaurant and in the minibar of each room, films and books about Florence, etc.

Moreover, every guest is welcomed by a representative of the project who makes them feel comfortable offering a cup of italian coffee and explaining that in that particular hotel something new is happening and that they are a fundamental part of an important project!

Guests are given a questionnaire about the project and they are kindly asked to fill it out with their comments and suggestions to help us to improve it.

Till now we have collected more than 800 questionnaires and guests have been very helpful to us with their suggestions!

One of the guests has attached a very interesting article from the International Herald Tribune and it’s about some very original guided tours in Paris.

Thank you very much for the news and… here is the article:

Paris, Guided tours offered, and the price is right

A group of friendly Parisians has banded together to show strangers around their city, the one not found in travel books – at no charge.
The members of the group, the Paris Greeters, are happy to speak English or nine other languages.
The local volunteers are not certified tour guides, but rather ordinary citizens eager to show off their favorite boulangerie or point out a tranquil park perfect for watching autumn shades fill in the skyline.
“City officials wanted to change the image tourists have of Parisians,” said Dominique Cotta, president of the Paris Greeters.

I think that this should be a great idea also for Florence and other cities in the world, isn’t it?

Who can show tourists a city better than its inhabitants?

What do you think about it? Do you know other similar examples to tell us?

Have a nice day!

LBT



Tu che sei in viaggio…
October 2, 2008, 9:58 am
Filed under: Italian section, News, Thought of the day, thought of the day | Tags: , , , , ,

 

“Tu che sei in viaggio, sono le tue orme, la strada, nient’altro;

Tu che sei in viaggio, non sei su una strada, la strada la fai tu andando.

Mentre vai si fa la strada e girandoti indietro vedrai il sentiero che mai più calpesterai.

Tu che sei in viaggio, non hai una strada, ma solo scie nel mare.”

Antonio Machado

Cari amici di viaggio,

Ho trovato per caso su internet questa frase molto bella dello scrittore Antonio Machado e mi faceva piacere condividerla con voi.

Quali riflessioni vi crea? A quali mondi o ricordi vi riporta? Ha un significato particolare per voi questa citazione in questo momento della vostra vita?

Se qualcuno mi sapesse dire da quale libro è tratta mi piacerebbe molto leggerlo.

Buona giornata a tutti!

LBT



The Zahir – Part three

Dear travellers,

Here is a last significant passage from the book The Zahir:

[...] I saw the endless steppes, which, although they appeared to be nothing but desert, were, in fact, full of life, full of creatures hidden in the low scrub. I saw the flat horizon, the vast empty space, heard the sound of horses’ hooves, the quiet wind, and then, all around us, nothing, absolutely nothing. It was as if the world had chosen this place to display, at once, its vastness, simplicity and complexity. It was as if we could – and should – become like the steppes, empty, infinite and, at the same time, full of life.

I looked up at the blue sky, took off my dark glasses, and allowed myself to be filled by that light, by the feeling of being simultaneously nowhere and everywhere. We rode on in silence, stopping now and then to let the horses drink from streams that only someone who knew the place would have been able to find. Occasionally, we would see other horsemen in the distance or shepherds with their flocks, framed by the plain and by the sky.

Where was I going? I hadn’t the slightest idea and I didn’t care. [...]

 *****************

[...] Così vidi la steppa sconfinata: sembrava un deserto, ma pullulava di vita, nascosta nella vegetazione strisciante. Vidi la linea pianeggiante dell’orizzonte, il gigantesco spazio vuoto; udii il rumore degli zoccoli dei cavalli e quello del vento calmo – e nulla, assolutamente nulla, tutt’intorno. Come se il mondo avesse scelto quel luogo per mostrare la sua immensità e, insieme, la sua complessità. Come se noi potessimo – e dovessimo – essere una rappresentazione della steppa: vuoti, infiniti e, nel contempo, pieni di vita.

Guardai il cielo azzurro. Mi tolsi gli occhiali scuri, mi lasciai inondare dalla luce, dalla sensazione di non trovarmi in nessun luogo e, nello stesso momento, in ogni luogo. Cavalcammo in silenzio, fermandoci soltanto per abbeverare i cavalli presso alcuni rivoli, che solo chi conosceva perfettamente il posto sapeva individuare. Ogni tanto, in lontananza si stagliavano altri cavalieri, pastori con le loro greggi, incorniciati dalla pianura e dal cielo.

Dove stavo andando? Non ne avevo affatto idea, né mi interessava saperlo. [...]

 

 

What do you think about this way of feeling places? Have you ever experienced something similar?

Tell us about your vision of travel. Is it similar to the vision of the protagonist of the book?

LBT



The Zahir – Part two

Hi Blog Firends,

Here is another passage from the book The Zahir by Paulo Coelho.

Enjoy the reading and let us know your opinion about it…

 

[...] After supper, it’s the usual routine: they want to show me their city’s monuments, historic places, fashionable bars. There is always a guide who knows absolutely everything and fills my head with information, and I have to look as if I’m really listening and ask the occasional question just to show interest. I know nearly all the monuments, museums, and historic places of all the many cities I have visited to promote my work – and I can’t remember any of them. What I do remember are the unexpected things, the meetings with readers, the bars, perhaps a street I happened to walk down, where I turned a corner and came upon something wonderful.

One day, I’m going to write a travel guide containing only maps, addresses of hotels, and with the rest of the pages blank. That way people will have to make their own itinerary, to discover for themselves restaurants, monuments, and all the magnificent things that every city has, but which are never mentioned because ‘the history we have been taught’ does not include them under the heading ‘Things you must see‘.

I’ve been to Zagreb before. And this fountain doesn’t appear in any of the local tourist guides, but it is far more important to me than anything else I saw here – because it is pretty, because I discovered it by chance, and because it is linked to a story in my life. [...]

*******************   

[...] Dopo la cena, il solito programma: vogliono mostrarmi tutto – monumenti, luoghi storici, locali alla moda. E sempre con una guida che conosce tutto, che mi riempie la testa di informazioni – io devo assumere l’aria di chi presta grande attenzione e, ogni tanto, domandare qualcosa per dimostrare il mio interesse. Conosco quasi tutti i monumenti e i luoghi storici delle moltissime città che ho visitato per promuovere il mio lavoro – eppure non mi ricordo assolutamente di nulla. Nella mente restano soltanto le cose inaspettate, gli incontri con i lettori, i bar, le vie che ho percorso casualmente: ho svoltato un angolo e, all’improvviso, ho visto qualcosa di meraviglioso.

Un giorno, voglio scrivere una guida turistica che contenga soltanto mappe e indirizzi di alberghi: lascerò le altre pagine in bianco, così ciascuno dovrà fare un proprio percorso, unico, scoprire i ristoranti, i monumenti e le meraviglie che ogni città possiede, ma delle quali non si parla mai perché “la storia che ci hanno raccontato ” non le include nella voce “Da non perdere assolutamente“.

Sono già stato a Zagabria. E questa fontana – benché non compaia in nessuna guida turistica – è molto più importante di molte altre che ho visto in questa città: perché è bella, perché l’ho scoperta per caso ed è legata a una storia di vita. [...]

If you should write your own touristic guide, what would you speak about?

Let us know which is your idea of VISITING A PLACE!!!

LBT



Domenica d’agosto che caldo fa…

Cari amici viaggiatori,

Agosto è il mese dei grandi esodi, degli spostamenti in massa per raggiungere la tanto attesa destinazione turistica, è il mese delle città deserte e desolate, del relax e del distacco temporaneo dalla vita di tutti i giorni.

Molti vanno in vacanza, ma molti (come me!!!) rimangono in città e si gustano il piacere di poter finalmente VIVERE LA CITTA’ in tutta la sua pienezza, senza traffico, rumori, gente che va di fretta, il solito stress cittadino, insomma.

Agosto è il mese per eccellenza delle vacanze quindi, ma anche del turismo di massa che è quel tipo di turismo che consuma le destinazioni turistiche a discapito dello spirito del luoghi e dell’identità dei loro abitanti

Oggi si parte più frequentemente in gruppo che non da soli, ci si muove in vacanze governate (fin nei minimi particolari) dai tour operators. Sostiene Franco Ferrarotti che in questo mondo in cui tutti viaggiano è proprio il viaggio a eclissarsi,

“si viaggia con una fretta esponenziale, con la golosità di una bulimia indifferente ai contenuti, sorda alle situazioni, cieca di fronte alle differenze” (FERRAROTTI 1999: 23).(1)

Il momento del transito, dello spostamento spaziale è stato abolito da un volo aereo di poche ore, in favore del punto di partenza/ritorno e del punto di arrivo temporaneo. Non si parte più alla ricerca della propria identità e dell’esperienza autentica, continua Ferrarotti, ma certo

“anche il più banale dei viaggi per le vacanze di massa, ha un effetto di deritualizzazione dell’esperienza personale, che può, al limite, intaccare i modi consueti dell’esperienza psichica e religiosa, provocarne un riorientamento profondo… il viaggio decongela l’identità, la rende mobile, itinerante, problematica” (FERRAROTTI 1999: 50).

Nonostante ciò o proprio per questo, il viaggio ora è relegato nell’angolo del mito, simbolo della rottura con la quotidianità facilmente acquistabile entrando in un’agenzia, obbligo sociale, esodo coatto.

Scrive a questo proposito Umberto Galimberti:

“Quegli spostamenti estivi che impropriamente chiamiamo viaggi ma che non hanno nulla del viaggio, perché non ci offrono davvero l’esperienza dello spaesamento che, facendoci uscire dall’abituale, e quindi dalle nostre abitudini, ci espongono all’insolito, dove è possibile scoprire come un diverso cielo si stende sulla terra, come la notte dispiega nel cielo costellazioni ignote, come una diversa religione ordina le speranze, come un’altra tradizione rispetto alla nostra fa popolo, come la solitudine fa deserto, l’iscrizione fa storia, il fiume fa ansa, la terra fa solco, e i nostri bagagli fanno ancora Occidente”.(2)

Che cosa ne pensate delle riflessioni appena citate? Qual’è la vostra idea sul turismo di massa?

Mi piacerebbe sapere il vostro parere al riguardo, quindi scrivete lasciando un vostro commento!

LBT 

 

(1) FERRAROTTI, Franco, Partire tornare. Viaggiatori e pellegrini alla fine del millennio, Roma, Donzelli (”Le Saggine”), 1999.

(2) GALIMBERTI, Umberto, “Viaggio, Istruzioni per l’uso”, La Repubblica, 7 luglio 1999.