The shelter was part of the project “RESCUE: REnew Spaces – U Educate” that went from 2020-2022 with the aim of reclaiming abandoned public spaces.
The Shelter is the first space that we reclaimed. This wonderful spot located in Monti Lattari looks like it comes out of a fairy tale. Built in the 1900’s it was used by Forest Guards to protect nature. Having been abandoned since the 1990’s, it has been inhabited for some time only to be abandoned again afterwards. We discovered it many decades afterwards, and identified the good potential in this shelter – and, despite the huge amount of work that we had ahead of us, we went into this adventure.
The building was damaged: the walls and the roof were destroyed and nature overwhelmed the area. The idea was to reclaim the space and convert the Shelter into a resting place for hikers, a vivid camping site and a nature exploring area for young people.
More than that, the RESCUE project has also the purpose of making us question our link with nature, what do we know about nature, how do we spend our time in nature?
The renovation process
In order for the Shelter to be ready,the ACARBIO team had to get ready! More than 20 work excursions were organized where we collected trash, fixed the roof, carried cement and much more.
A typical work excursion ‘Let’s build the Shelter!’ always started thanks to previous organizational meetings. With the help of locals and volunteers we first went to collect the materials. It is important for the association to recycle because sustainability is our future. It is also a perfect place to discover some aspects of geology and the volcanic territory, and some players in the ecosystem, such as pollinators or lichens and mosses. Together, we renovated the ceiling, filled the cracks in the walls, trash was moved and a dining table was built. The place still needs some work done but is already available for spending good time as we already did with the children from the school of Giovanni Pascoli in Tramonti.
A day at the Shelter
‘Discover Tramonti’s nature’ is an activity that ACARBIO organized in the interest of showing to the children the beauty of nature surrounding us. After a nice hike, the children and the ACARBIO team arrived at the Shelter.
Divided in groups we did a few activities: doing an Herbarium (identifying plants and flowers), learn how to map a place, learn how to sow plants and in a fourth activity learn how to take beautiful landscape pictures with their phones. It is important that the children learn how to love and respect nature because we are the future and hope of tomorrow.
The Shelter still needs some work on but is already happy to welcome anyone who would like to discover its magic!
A night at the Shelter
As a group and team building experience, we organized a camping adventure in the Shelter. With 20 volunteers, we started the hike in the morning followed by a picnic lunch and a mountain climbing in the afternoon. From the top of the mountain, you can have an amazing view over the valley of Salerno.
The end of the day was organized with the setup of the tents, a nice hot meal and the happiness of spending a night outside. The next morning, after breakfast, the team started to hike back home but found a really dirty path with a lot of trash. We stopped for an hour and collected it. It is important not to ignore trash if we have the ability to collect it.
In order to finish this article about Tramonti’s hidden landmarks let me give you the beautiful meaning of its name : sunsets. The village invites you by his name to come and explore it the way he deserves to.
The Hiking Path: