27 May 2007

For the last week we have been enjoying the beauty of Umbria.

We've seen fields with scattered poppies everywhere here, very beautiful.

A time for making hay before the dry of summer really sets in.
At the same time my hope of connecting with some people in the valley we are staying in was realized. It has been a wonderful week, relaxing for the girls and Karen and for the most part for me as well ... the one downside is a mark inside the lens of the film camera which has me concerned. I filmed anyway yesterday to capture important material.

The first few days here we were finding our feet, me still getting used to driving on the right side of the road, finding local supermarkets and so on. In between I managed to make some good connections. With the help of a young Italian couple staying in the apartment next to ours I managed to talk to Guiseppe, the co-owner of La Casella Marilena where we are staying, about my interests. He then connected me with a local woman, Katharina. Through Katharina we met Alfredo and Christine, a couple who own a 100 ha organic farm and a restaurant in the hills here. On Thursday night we had dinner at their lovely restaurant and talked about our journey and my work. They were very interested. It emerged that they are part of a group of people who moved to this valley in the 1970s and have been working over a long period of time on environmental issues. Some of their networking activities can be seen at http://lareteinrete.net The challenge they have had is being seen as outsiders by the long-standing local farmers and community. However, over time, they have worked to make connections and try and influence positive changes with the community. I see a real opportunity to help facilitate stronger connections and interactions. Now is the time for this to happen, as we've seen and heard in every place we've visited so far on this journey. More on this later...

On Friday we went to Assisi. This was a very special day. St Francis of Assisi was a very special person at a time of much conflict, with a universal message that is very relevant now. It is worth repeating part of the text from the brochure we collected from the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi...

“Franciscan existence is an immense space where God, man and the world of nature harmoniously find their place. In Assisi even the sun, moon, stars, fire, water and wind feel at home because Francis dared to call them 'brothers' and 'sisters'.”

Reading this reminded me of a movie I saw about 32 years ago, about the life of St Francis “Brother Sun, Sister Moon”. This movie made a very big impression on a then 16 year old. What moved me most in the Basilica was the Giotti painting of “The Sermon to the Birds”. We walked from the Basilica to the highest point in Assisi, a beautiful view over the village and surrounding countryside.

A view of the Basilica of St Francis
As we left Assisi I was captured by images of field and sky, with Assisi and the Basilica in between. And then a sign to the Sanctuary of Rivotorto caught my eye. This is named the 'hovel of St Francis' where the first Franciscan community was briefly housed... the humble, simple dwelling now overwhelmed by the church of Rivotorto.

The village of Assisi, between earth and sky

The hovel of St Francis within the Church of Rivotorto

On our return to the commune of Lisciano Niccone we drove into a thunderstorm and then beautiful scenes of sun radiating through clouds over the nearby village of Mercatale.

A stunning scene from our temporary home at Marilena la Casella, looking towards Mercatale

Yesterday (Saturday) we drove to Alfredo and Christine's farm, first in mid afternoon to film and photograph scenes on and from the farm and later in the evening to film an interview with Alfredo. It was this on this morning that I noticed a spot through the film camera and discovered some sort of mark inside the lens. This was quite distressing, but I worked my best to manage filming to avoid this mark coming through... and in some cases filmed anyway in the hope that with modern technology something can be done in an editing process to remove the mark that is very obvious at times on the screen.

Alfredo and Christine came to this valley in the mid 1970s, students from University in Rome coming to live an ideal in the countryside. They discovered this beautiful place in Umbria, 100 ha of abandoned land in the hills. The hills were mostly abandoned in the 1960s, with people either moving to the cities or down into the valley to work on tobacco farms which predominate here. They chose an organic approach, consistent with traditional agriculture in this environment, but with contemporary ideas and technology. The forested hills here provide a protective cover that is very important in an environment that becomes very dry in the summer months. But there are problems. The hills and forest are no longer managed in a way that supports sustainability of the whole environment. Mostly now they are occupied by tourists, with over use of water becoming an issue. People are having to drill deeper to get water. The winter snows of 30 years ago are no longer happening, an important source of groundwater recharge. There is heavy use of water in the valley. Alfredo talks to the old people and they say that the agriculture in the valley has been destroyed. Local people hear through the news about climate change, they are experiencing local climatic changes, they wonder if there is a connection. They lack relevant information to help make the connections. The potential here is in the forest, the environment, the mix of people ... the likes of Katharina, Alfredo, Christine and the long-standing farmers and others in the community being supported and empowered to work together for the future.

A traditional storage dam, on Alfredo and Christine's farm. The majority of these traditional dams have been abandoned.

Alfredo cutting hay. In the past the grass would have been 3 times this height at this time of year. Hotter weather and less moisture are possible causes for the lower production in Alfredo's view.



A balanced farm forestry environment.

A view of the farm homestead, with olive grove.

The valley, looking towards the commune of Lisciano Niccone. A very balanced, harmonious environment but with important issues that need to be addressed.

Alfredo, a man who has dedicated his adult life to being a 'doer', putting his ideals into practice in partnership with Christine ... together providing real leadership for the future.

Being in this beautiful valley in Umbria, visiting Assisi, has been very uplifting and a further affirmation of what motivated me towards undertaking this journey with my family. We continue to meet people doing good things... now stretching from Thailand, Viet Nam, Nepal, Egypt, to Italy. It is my goal to work to strengthen the connections that have been made, to create the possibility of bringing some of these grassroots people from different places together. I can do this through a documentary film if I ultimately find the extra support needed to realise this. But I also now carry a goal to physically bring grassroots people from different places together ... to facilitate an interaction that I think could be very powerful and really help guide a true action focused approach to addressing the real issues of our time in a realistic manner.

Karen - Nepal, Egypt and Italy

From the Himalayan mountains of Nepal to the sands of Egypt, it continues to be an amazing journey even now. One of the things that stands out for me is the special meetings with all kinds of people, who all care about our world and its problems, all working in various ways to conserve resources and the environment. It's a real privilege to see the faces of listeners as we retell stories about other people and countries; problems and solutions. It's a real comfort to them to know other people are facing similar problems and finding solutions.

I also see it firing the imagination of our girls, the next generation, so I feel grateful for that and hope for the future ..How much more powerful a documentary would be with each person interviewed, reinforcing each other in so many countries and different languages. It's very exciting to be a part of. Gavin is doing a great job of linking people together for mutual support by simply listening, recording and sharing peoples stories about their local environments.

I had an amazing experience in Nepal and then slept in the loud silence of the desert, outside under the stars for the first time. I got up before sunrise to take photos and was mesmerised by the changes of light on the shapes of rocks in the White Desert and the horizon. Now we are in greenery like New Zealand again, in Umbria, Italy ... still with climatic problems and making positive connections.

Lena - Egypt & Italy

Egypt was interesting. It was the one country where none of us had any idea what to expect there. We went and saw the Pyramids and for me it wasn't all that it's cracked up to be, personally I didn't see what the big deal was. But it was mind blowing to think that they accomplished such amazing architecture that long ago and that it lasted for so long.

Going to Bahariya Oasis was really worthwhile, we connected with some really nice people who were doing good things with the environment. Staying one night in the desert was also interesting, though I kept on expecting to see the sea over the next hill because of the sand. Ha! And after vowing never to spend another night sleeping on sand, here I found myself sleeping on the sand yet again. I had a pretty good sleep though. I know I shouldn't but nothing compares to staying on the beach in New Zealand, not even the desert.

At Sekem we also did some really good interviews. The teacher that we interviewed said that at home his children each have a special role to play. One is the Minister for Electricity and has to make sure that lights that aren't being used are switched off and the other is the Minister for Water and makes sure that everyone uses the water ecologically. I thought it was such a cool way to educate children in a way that is fun and interesting for them.

Well after 3 ½ months our whole family is all back together. Emma came and met us in Milan. It was kind of weird at first because we had been apart for so long and so much has happened in that time, but now it's all good. In Rome we got to go see the Colosseum for free because it was cultural week, that was awesome. It might just have been because there were so many people there at the time, but it was smaller than I imagined, maybe because it's a ruin; it would have been magnificent when it had just been finished. We also stumbled across the place where Julius Caesar was cremated. Rome has so many layers; all the different people who have lived there left a mark, and in places like the Colosseum, you can feel it is just so old. I know now what people mean when they say that New Zealand is still a young country in comparison.

Right now we are staying in lovely little place looking over a valley in the region of Umbria. For the first time since we left NZ we get to cook our own meals and are staying in a homely place. It's been so good just to relax as well even though we've gone out almost every day to explore around the area.

Emma - Italy and family

Well since about a week ago I have joined the family in Milan.. it has been different but we have all gotten used to it now. My Italian has gotten better too and Dad is getting better so we get by. After Milan we went on the plane down to Rome which was awesome seeing the Colosseum and all the Roman ruins...it was quite an experience till I got a bit of sun stroke.

Now we are in Umbria in a little valley. It is beautiful here and the people are so energetic to learn what Dad has to share. I find that people and farmers here are so much more appreciative of Dad than some in New Zealand. One lady we encountered even remarked how she was glad he existed. Last night was the first interview I have been here for and it's really interesting to listen to a farmer who has probably never been given the chance to properly speak his thoughts and concerns to talk non stop pretty much... his worries with the water in the valley and what he does... and his thoughts on climate change.

It seems that people all over the world are aware of what is happening around them but just need someone to guide them to help themselves and others do the right thing for our world. I am happy to be helping and being a whole family again though I miss my friends in New Zealand and in Lugano very much. I have met the most amazing people and I will never forget any of it.

Alice - Egypt and Italy

In Egypt we had a pretty good experience. One was going to see the Pyramids which was nice for me since I did a project on them ... what I didn't like though was people asking for money all the time.

The second one was going to Sekem which I liked as well because it was amazing to think they actually built a whole school out there and to know what good they were doing. And thirdly was going out to the desert which I enjoyed a lot ... for one thing that picture that Dad took of me with the planet Venus resting on my hand and to think Dad spontaneously took it without knowing it was there is pretty awesome. And I enjoyed sleeping under the stars for the the first time with sand underneath me!!

Getting to Milan was exciting because I couldn't wait to see Emma again after 3 ½ months of not seeing each other. It was fun in Milano walking around and stuff. One of the things I am really enjoying is learning about the Renaissance and seeing some of the things Leonardo da Vinci created in all his work.

Then in Rome it was great because we got to see the Colosseum and some of the old ruins that have been there for centuries. Anyway, after Rome we got our rental car which is great and drove to where we are now which is in a lovely valley in the countryside and there's a swimming pool, haha, and it's awesome.