Once upon a time there was a wonderful forest where every tree was not just a plant, but a living being. The trees themselves could not move, but offered their canopy as a home for the birds that flew among them. Mushrooms and fruits of every color were born among their roots and many animals found not only refuge, but an opportunity to have fun and play with each other. The men who visited this forest not only marveled, but considered the forest as a sacred place and respected the plants and all the beings that lived in it as divine creatures.
However, a black prince also had his home in this forest. He was an envious wizard and hated all light and color. He didn't like the joy of the woods, on the contrary, it really bothered him. And above all he was jealous of the respect that was expressed by men towards the plants of the wood and not towards him. The wizard cast a spell that made all faces and colors disappear and the woods became gray and shady.
For centuries the forest remained like this, an oak was only more of an oak, an ash an ash, there was no longer any trace of the wonderful life it once was. And the men avoided stopping in the dark of the woods, only a few criminals looking for a refuge hid in its gray shadow. The forest closed in more and more and finally became an impenetrable enemy of man, considered almost a dead and evil place.
One day, by chance, a fairy arrived from afar, from the world of light, with a group of elves – seeing the black and dead forest, she had compassion and wanted to wake him up. With the strength of her love she summoned a star from the sky that descended among the trees and transformed itself on earth into a marvelous pinwheel. Dancing around the luminous pinwheel, the fairy and the elves managed to awaken the soul of the forest and thus not only the faces and the joy of the plants returned, but also the respect of men for the value of life in the forest ...
Take me away from here, away from these faces so false and these empty words. Take me to the mountains, away from the whole world. Take me where there is nothing but our breaths, where there is no other love but nature.
Take me to an abandoned house, let's look at the dry leaves through that broken window. Take me among the trees that prevent the sun from illuminating my face, which with their branches form a roof made of time and our sylvan past.
Take me to the sea, yes, to the sea. Here we go. Take me to the seashore when the weather is bad, when the waves are stronger than the heartbeat. You know that I also like the sea in winter, the clouds, the foam and the shells piled up.
Take me to the sea to watch the waves that end up on the shore, and start again from further away. Listening to the wind that speaks and the sand that listens.
Then let me look at the horizon, let me think that you need a different life, that there is no need to change places but that everything happens inside me because the forest, the sea, nature and all this exist inside my soul for always.
Luckily I stocked up.
No, not of flour, yeast and toilet paper, but of racing, of the sun, of diving into the sea.
Of life in the woods, of nights in tents, of vigils at the stars, of campfires.
Luckily I cooked on the grill, I hugged millions of times, I drew volleyball courts on asphalt and sand, I played a hundred treasure hunts, I lit bonfires and sang at the top of my lungs to the sound of a guitar.
I have backpacked miles for miles to places I've never been.
I felt the rain on my head, I sang under the trees, I wrote with sticks in the sand.
I swam in the waters of an ocean at midnight when all was silent.
I inhaled the scent of wet ground.
I loved so much, I cried and I smiled.
Fortunately, otherwise what would I think now?
We have taken their space!
We have limited their area!
We humans usurp the animal world every day!
We are the cruel predators who eliminate defenseless animal species!
We are the real monsters and we destroy everything that is beautiful!
Until when will we have the power to do this?
How long will this planet not decide to shake up and send us all upside down?
Young princess
Child now grown up
You play being a wife
satisfied lady.
The rooms of your home
Polished dwelling-
They might satisfy
Your thirst for tea
friends accommodated
For years to come,
For years.
Your wise husband
accomplished master
He does not feel the pains
Ignore the paleness.
Behind a door
Your pain is hidden
Locked in
Golden lock.
You were free in the woods,
with your bow and your knife,
true warrior,
and now only daughter-in-law.
In twelve months you look at the moon,
dreaming of that life in a sylvan abode,
you wait to be sure that the wind will come back
and take away your days.
The Sanfratellano dei Nebrodi horse (or San Fratello breed) is an Italian breed originally from the Messina area. Majestic and rustic, docile and proud, the Sanfratellano horse has been the undisputed master of the Nebrodi mountains for centuries.
The ancient Greeks called this area “the land of roe deer”, and it is precisely from “nebros”, roe deer, that the name of the park was born. The Nebrodi Park, which with more than 80 thousand hectares of surface, is the largest protected natural area on the island, represents a breathtaking spectacle of unspoiled nature. Through its paths and paths there are different types of vegetation to discover and a rich and complex wildlife community.An ideal place to indulge in a dream trekking during your Sicilian holidays. Formed by the rushing waters of the San Basilio stream, at a height difference of 30 meters carved by time, the waterfall is located in the territory of Galati di Mamertino in an area full of charm that offers numerous ideas for pleasant walks.A small corner where you can also relax by offering a prayer to the Madonna present in the icon placed by the citizens of Caronia Montagna to consecrate the wood to the Lady of Nature.
This is the icon of the Madonna present in the green area.Lake Maulazzo is a suggestive artificial reservoir of about 5 hectares on the north-eastern slopes of Monte Soro, the highest peak of the Nebrodi. The path leading to the lake proceeds through hidden and unusual paths. You can admire streams of clear water, small mammals, diurnal birds of prey, griffins and, with a little luck, even the golden eagle. There is no shortage of plants, flowers and mushrooms typical of the undergrowth. Lake Maulazzo is an important lake environment: although it was born as an artificial lake, over time it has naturalized, offering shelter to many animal and plant species.The Sicilian Black pig, also called Nero dei Nebrodi, Nero delle Madonie or Nero dell Etna is a native breed with very ancient origins. It is a very fine breed with a strong and highly recognizable meat flavor. Sicilian black pigs are raised in the wild and semi-wild state in the wooded areas of the island, free to feed according to nature, guaranteeing the goodness of their meat thanks to proper nutrition consisting mainly of acorns and chestnuts.It is enclosed between the borders of Randazzo and Tortorici. It is a natural alpine lake and is the highest in Sicily (1435 m asl). Its waters besides quenching the thirst of numerous herds, attract numerous avian species, including gray herons, coots, moorhens and mallards.If you are looking for adventure in contact with nature, if you are attracted by the unknown or if you (simply) like walking, you cannot miss this Sicilian stop, to be added immediately to your “to do list”, that is to the list of 1000 things to do on the weekend. The next one, for example.Birdwatching of Nebrodi griffins. From the educational laboratory “La Tana delle Idee” you can watch the griffons thanks to dioramas and cameras present in the nesting sites of the Griffons. These large birds with their wingspan of over three meters, can travel hundreds of kilometers in one day.Three pairs of golden eagles live in the area of the Nebrodi Park and one of these, the one that lives in the stupendous landscape of the fortresses of the Crasto di Alcara li Fusi, is linked to a singular and fascinating legend. It is said, in fact, that a hermit, San Nicola Politi, who lived in a cave among these inaccessible mountains had established an exceptional relationship with the Golden Eagle and every day provided for his sustenance receiving the blessing of the sacred man. This tradition finds testimony in the paintings that can be observed in the town of Alcara li Fusi and the relationship of affection of the locals towards their eagle is still alive and testified by the good health of this couple, which is among the most fruitful and productive of the whole Sicily.
Walking in the woods is a fantastic thing, it recharges you, it makes you feel your true nature, it gives you life again. We belong to nature and not to concrete. But we forgot about our green heart, which is why we are all sick now. The forest is our home. An environment made up of meadows, shrubs, trees, wetlands or not, welcomed primitive man. Being in nature, crossing the woods, was useful for our ancestors to get food. A primary need fixed in our genome. Despite a sedentary lifestyle and a safe home, our body, our immune system, invites us to be in nature, to take a walk in the woods. Our body knows that all of this makes us feel good.Terpenes, this is the secret of the forest. Terpenes are chemical molecules that plants produce to communicate with other plants. There are about 40,000 of them. They use them to defend themselves from parasite attacks, to send odorous messages. Through the terpenes the forest speaks the language of smells. And our body buys it up to strengthen the immune system. And not only. Our mood improves, we move away from any states of depression and we know, if our mood is high, our immune system also works better. The terpenes in the air come from the leaves and needles of the trees and again from the bark and trunk. They are released from shrubs, grasses and undergrowth bushes. And again from mushrooms, mosses and ferns. Everything in a forest emanates terpenes, precious and incredible biomolecules that we assimilate through the skin and through breathing, therefore from the lungs. Now you know. So you stay in the woods for a few more minutes. Are you OK. Fill your lungs with air. Breathe and this time really, breathe and choose to feed yourself with a dose of air full of what makes you feel good. Your immune system reads, decodes and copes with any external attack just like a tree would because it is in the woods that you have your roots. Home.All fables take place in the woods, the best known and the individual ones, of each of us. Those who choose to walk in the woods want to live their own fairy tale, looking for that inner freedom that makes them the master of their own life and dreaming of acting like trees, birds and deer, which in their simplicity live above everything. When you go deep into the woods you leave behind the noises of civilization. Venturing completely alone is a unique experience that we can offer ourselves, with that mixture of fear and a state of alert that are mixed with the pleasure of daring to challenge the atavistic fears that we carry within us since we were children. Going deeper and deeper into the trees, and closing your eyes, you can hear the heartbeat of the forest play in unison with your own.Human beings become inhumane when they turn away from nature. They become numb. They become sad and bored. Living in concrete houses has killed the energy of human beings. They have shelter but no longer feel any joy. They are trapped in sterile cages and become sterile. Nature is destroyed and man does not understand that destroying it means destroying himself.
THE PRODIGY OF IDEAS 