Basilicata: far away from mass tourism
Among the many unforeseen events that life tends to offer in large amounts, it was finally time for summer break. And so we started looking for something that could work for our family holiday: a beautiful sea, nature, accessibility and, as much as possible, not a crowded place.
We wanted to go to Basilicata, Southern Italy (our family comes from there). So, we started evaluating hotels and accommodations along the route and in that area.
The biggest lie: sustainable tourism
After some research, we realised that almost every hotel, residence or resort is sustainable or “cares very much” about the environment. As well as in the fashion field, sustainable marketing is here to make people believe in the biggest lie of our times: sustainability. The contemporary lifestyle isn’t sustainable at all. In fact, no one renounces flights, disposable products or mass consumption. So no green marketing will make it better unless we change how we live.
We can’t say sustainable tourism came as a surprise, but we said, ok, let’s see what they mean precisely with these fabulous green magic words. What do these hotels offer? For instance, we saw imposing luxury buildings that suffocate the environment to the point of modifying and devastating coastal areas. Or hotels proudly promote 1.200 to 6.000 square feet of swimming pools.
So we wondered, can people believe that such waste of water has something to do with sustainability? If so, we deserve extinction.
Summer break: out of the beaten paths
Since there’s no such thing as sustainable tourism because humans aren’t sustainable, not even at home, we searched for a low-impact solution. It seemed more achievable.
Therefore we opted for something totally different for our summer break. No big hotels, no flights, far away from mass tourism. Indeed, we found a house in the countryside, near Marina di Pisticci. It’s immersed in nature, peaceful and quiet, essential but spacious, 20 minutes away from the sea. A thick pine forest creates a green frame, a necessary passage to reach the beach. Though the Basilicata region has grown from a touristic viewpoint, it is still wild and not too crowded.
Back to our roots, back to basics. There is nothing to chase after. The whole place and its slow lifestyle remind us that true luxury is the nature that surrounds us.
In the end, isn’t it real sustainability?