Editor’s note:
Walter Capella teamed with Elisa Rocco on a walking journey across Italy, inspired in part by Paul Salopek’s global walk. He writes here about people they met who enthusiastically participated in the Out of Eden Walk’s HomeStories project.
Nicola Serafino’s HomeStory.
What does this place mean to you? I asked this question to many people during the past two years, usually while walking through their hometown or favorite natural site. Nicola Serafino, a guesthouse owner from Montecalvo Irpino, in southern Italy, answered right away. “This is the place that gave birth to me and my ancestors. It evokes a great emotion in me. My journey of life starts and ends here.” He added, “It's also like the typical journey of a bee, which flies away daily but then returns home, bringing with it new nectar gathered along the way.”
And then he said: “This town may seem distant from the world, damaged by several earthquakes, yet it is a land so rich in art, history, and tradition that it has preserved my heart and my desire to live.”
On the Cammino Adagio, I’ve walked halfway across Italy, my native country, to learn more about its geology and people, and the link between the two. I started in the south, the part I knew less well, and inched toward the northeast, where I’m from, because I wanted the journey to have a touch of homecoming.
Little did I know I was going to experience much more than a reconnection with my homeland. I've discovered a myriad of ways to find a sense of belonging, thanks to the people I've met, talked with, and most importantly, listened to.
As I journeyed, I was eager to weave their intimate tales into a tapestry of shared experiences, so I became a story gatherer for the Out of Eden Walk HomeStories project. The idea of HomeStories evolved from Paul Salopek’s 24,000-mile walk around the world, an ongoing odyssey dedicated to sharing the stories of everyday people he meets—creating a portrait of humanity at the beginning of a new millennium. Paul is now nearing the end of an unprecedented trek through the interior of China.
Nicola Serafino’s HomeStory.
What does this place mean to you? I asked this question to many people during the past two years, usually while walking through their hometown or favorite natural site. Nicola Serafino, a guesthouse owner from Montecalvo Irpino, in southern Italy, answered right away. “This is the place that gave birth to me and my ancestors. It evokes a great emotion in me. My journey of life starts and ends here.” He added, “It's also like the typical journey of a bee, which flies away daily but then returns home, bringing with it new nectar gathered along the way.”
And then he said: “This town may seem distant from the world, damaged by several earthquakes, yet it is a land so rich in art, history, and tradition that it has preserved my heart and my desire to live.”
On the Cammino Adagio, I’ve walked halfway across Italy, my native country, to learn more about its geology and people, and the link between the two. I started in the south, the part I knew less well, and inched toward the northeast, where I’m from, because I wanted the journey to have a touch of homecoming.
Little did I know I was going to experience much more than a reconnection with my homeland. I've discovered a myriad of ways to find a sense of belonging, thanks to the people I've met, talked with, and most importantly, listened to.
As I journeyed, I was eager to weave their intimate tales into a tapestry of shared experiences, so I became a story gatherer for the Out of Eden Walk HomeStories project. The idea of HomeStories evolved from Paul Salopek’s 24,000-mile walk around the world, an ongoing odyssey dedicated to sharing the stories of everyday people he meets—creating a portrait of humanity at the beginning of a new millennium. Paul is now nearing the end of an unprecedented trek through the interior of China.
Elisa pauses on a country road near Santa Cristina Gela, in Sicily. Her goal is “to discover the world, looking for a deep connection with nature, other human beings and herself.”
Walter Capella
HomeStories brings together, in a crowd-sourced storytelling map, a chorus of voices to reflect collectively on a universal theme: the concept of home. Anyone can participate and answer the same three questions Paul asks the nearest person he meets every hundred miles along his trail: Who are you, where are you from, and where are you going?
“It’s an undefined and strange land,” Carmine Donnola writes in his HomeStory. “Pigs and hens don't roam the streets anymore, but schools, post offices, and stations are closing—emigration is back in fashion.” Carmine is a poet and retired janitor in Basilicata, a region that like many others in southern Italy is suffering from population loss.
I met Carmine by chance at the entrance of Grassano, his hometown of 5,000 people. He greeted me cheerfully, stopping me on the side of the road and offering a rolled ribbon-tied paper containing one of his poems. “Take one,” he said. “I like to spread poetry instead of violence.”
Answering my question, Who are you? he wrote in his story: “I am a little man in search of the meaning of my existence.” Alluding to past troubles he has put behind him, he continued, “my experiences make me a mixture of glory and shame.”
Giovanni Abbate’s and Loredana De Simmeo’s (Giò and Lory) HomeStory.
Grassano sits atop a fossil river delta of sand and pebbles that was exposed during the uplifting of the Apennine Mountains. This place, in Carmine’s words, is “an oak-crowned summit full of gems.”
Not too far away, amid the clayey hills that once lay beneath the sea bordering the mountains, I encountered Giovanni Abbate and Loredana De Simmeo, a couple who like to go by the nicknames Giò and Lory. They decided to turn their farm into a refuge not only for themselves but, they hoped, for many others too.
“This farm is the place where we crossed paths, looked into each other’s eyes, and said, from here, our shared journey begins,” they write in their HomeStory. “Now our home is a large family that also includes many animals. Furthermore, we want to make people passing through here feel at home because, for us, home is an open door. We want to host not only pilgrims and travelers but also organizations helping people of all ages, including those with mental disabilities, to get better through pet therapy and contact with animals.”
For most, home is a familiar place, but those who leave and return later sometimes see it with new eyes. My project and life partner Elisa Rocco is on a path toward “a deep connection with nature, other human beings, and myself.” Occasionally, she comes back to her family house in northern Italy, at the foot of the Berici Hills near Vicenza, and sees how her perception of the area has evolved.
Giovanni Abbate’s and Loredana De Simmeo’s (Giò and Lory) HomeStory.
Grassano sits atop a fossil river delta of sand and pebbles that was exposed during the uplifting of the Apennine Mountains. This place, in Carmine’s words, is “an oak-crowned summit full of gems.”
Not too far away, amid the clayey hills that once lay beneath the sea bordering the mountains, I encountered Giovanni Abbate and Loredana De Simmeo, a couple who like to go by the nicknames Giò and Lory. They decided to turn their farm into a refuge not only for themselves but, they hoped, for many others too.
“This farm is the place where we crossed paths, looked into each other’s eyes, and said, from here, our shared journey begins,” they write in their HomeStory. “Now our home is a large family that also includes many animals. Furthermore, we want to make people passing through here feel at home because, for us, home is an open door. We want to host not only pilgrims and travelers but also organizations helping people of all ages, including those with mental disabilities, to get better through pet therapy and contact with animals.”
For most, home is a familiar place, but those who leave and return later sometimes see it with new eyes. My project and life partner Elisa Rocco is on a path toward “a deep connection with nature, other human beings, and myself.” Occasionally, she comes back to her family house in northern Italy, at the foot of the Berici Hills near Vicenza, and sees how her perception of the area has evolved.
Elisa Rocco’s HomeStory.
Cammino Adagio
“At first I underestimated it, but then, after I lived in other places, I saw its hidden charm,” she writes. “I was struck by the simple and unpretentious beauty of these hills. I rediscovered the smells and scents of the countryside; the air you breathe is unmistakable and smells like home.”
Many people told me that for them home is really a feeling.
“Home for me is not just a physical place. It can be also a person, or more than one. It can be traveling, or a project,” writes Giacomo Peruzzi, from Montepulciano, nestled in the hills of Tuscany. “At the end, I realized that this endless research of home is just a feeling that changes along the way, depending on your needs and desires. Home is whatever makes you feel free, loved, safe, connected to the world and the people you love.”
I started my journey wanting to learn more about my country and its people. Those who shared their HomeStories truly helped me do that. Hearing their personal tales of home left me feeling grateful and enriched with a deeper understanding. I've gained not just facts about my country but a purer kind of wisdom derived from the stories that collectively shape our identity.
And now I want to ask: What is home to you? I hope you’ll tell me and others around the world by sharing your HomeStory on the map.
Editor’s note: The HomeStories excerpts here have been edited lightly for clarity.
Walter Capella, PhD, is a researcher-geologist, multimedia storyteller, professional dreamer, and world enthusiast. After living in Spain, France, the Netherlands, and the U.K., he returned to Italy, his native country, in search of a deeper understanding of home.
Elisa Rocco’s HomeStory.
Cammino Adagio
“At first I underestimated it, but then, after I lived in other places, I saw its hidden charm,” she writes. “I was struck by the simple and unpretentious beauty of these hills. I rediscovered the smells and scents of the countryside; the air you breathe is unmistakable and smells like home.”
Many people told me that for them home is really a feeling.
“Home for me is not just a physical place. It can be also a person, or more than one. It can be traveling, or a project,” writes Giacomo Peruzzi, from Montepulciano, nestled in the hills of Tuscany. “At the end, I realized that this endless research of home is just a feeling that changes along the way, depending on your needs and desires. Home is whatever makes you feel free, loved, safe, connected to the world and the people you love.”
I started my journey wanting to learn more about my country and its people. Those who shared their HomeStories truly helped me do that. Hearing their personal tales of home left me feeling grateful and enriched with a deeper understanding. I've gained not just facts about my country but a purer kind of wisdom derived from the stories that collectively shape our identity.
And now I want to ask: What is home to you? I hope you’ll tell me and others around the world by sharing your HomeStory on the map.
Editor’s note: The HomeStories excerpts here have been edited lightly for clarity.
Walter Capella, PhD, is a researcher-geologist, multimedia storyteller, professional dreamer, and world enthusiast. After living in Spain, France, the Netherlands, and the U.K., he returned to Italy, his native country, in search of a deeper understanding of home.