Creating connections for young travelers in rural Italy

[Claudia331]

Hosts play an important role in creating a more connected world, especially during a particularly lonely time. This series explores how Hosts can help revitalize places. Host Advisory Board members Claudia from Italy, Marielle from France, and Rie from Japan share their perspectives. Learn more about the Host Advisory Board.  

I grew up in a small town on the outskirts of Milan. As a young girl, I attended the local church. For holidays, the nuns invited us to their home in Sueglio, a small village on Lake Como. 

Many years have passed since those trips and the nun’s residence has since closed. But I still remember the flavors of hand-picked chestnuts and yellow risotto, the company of friends, and the sounds of the guitar on the terrace at sunset.

Like many Italian villages in the valleys and inland areas, fewer people are currently living in Sueglio. Between 1951 and 2020, Sueglio’s population decreased by more than 50%, according to the Como-Lecco Chamber of Commerce. 

More recently, I've also seen the impact the pandemic has had on young people since 2020. As a mother of two teenagers, I've watched this generation experience isolation and struggle to find places to connect with others.

This motivated me to invest in a hospitality project dedicated to young people. I’ve been working with Valentina, a fellow Host and designer, for the past two years to restore and reopen the nun’s residence as a holiday home for young travelers.

The house will help young travelers experience autonomy, get to know one another, discover nearby nature, and take care of themselves and their surroundings. We hope it will once again become a vital place for the local community. 

We’ve collaborated with several partners on the project, including the municipality of Sueglio, Impresa Sociale Wonder Grottole, and two students from the New Academy of Fine Arts in Milan.

Through our efforts, we aim to show it’s possible to reverse a trend and help a village become alive again. 

I’m excited to list this property on Airbnb soon, and I hope it will bring people together.

I look forward to welcoming many young travelers and temporary residents!

Read Marielle and Rie’s articles here: 

• Uniting locals and tourists in a French village
  
  
• Revitalizing community in a Japanese resort town

Do you have similar experiences to share? How do you think your actions as a Host can impact regrowth?

Valentina and the architects assess the property.

View from the terrace of Lake Como covered by clouds.The living room in the attic overlooking the lake.

Valentina and I during one of the inspections to define the project.

[Christina1636]

Claudia, This is such a wonderful story. Thank you so much for sharing it here! Perhaps we can visit someday.

Cheers, Christina and Craig

[Claudia331]

Thank you @Christina1636 for this comment. Really happy you like it and of course, I'll wait for you and  Craig as soon as the house will be ready (next spring we hope 🤞)! ❤️

Let us know if you have in mind other similar project in your area, it's important know this new trend and how much as hosts we can have an impact on our "fragile" territories 

hugs 

Claudia 

[Demi2]

@Claudia331 lovely idea and execution, I hope they youth are enjoying the settings. I’m passionate about supporting young people as well. I have been a university art teacher for 20 years so I‘m very familiar with this age group.

I would be delighted to connect with you in regards to a new program  I plan to teach. I’m working on Etiquette and basic home economics, which is no longer thought in schools.I have worked with a few  students and members of sorority groups sucessfuly. I would love to come meet and teach the participants in the near future. I’m not sure how we can connect directly but Id like to keep this conversation going.

[Claudia331]

@Demi2thank you for your kind feedback!

I love your proposal, agree that an education related to topics you mantion is really important fo young who try an experience to grow in autonomy and start to menage their life alone

In your experience, young you theached did they benefite from this training? Were they interested in the topic?

Let's keep in touch by direct message if you like

Thanks again and hear you soon

Claudia

[Demi2]

Th youth did benefit sn I can send you letters of testimony. I have a few happy prrichative students and parents.  please look me up at my teaching job a the new school. Deemi Adeniran- Parsons.

I hope this is direct message.

Demi

[Demi2]

Hi again Claudia,

I’m sorry Im not so tech savvy so I think I posted my reply to the chat. but the answer is yes they respond in positive ways I was pleasantly surprised give them something to do with there hand like knitting and the love it, imagine bringing in a few Monas to teach hand skills sewing embroidery etc. I started teaching knitting as a way to get my students off their phones and have something to do when they travel for spring break. Well , it was a hit with all genders! I think given an opportunity kids would rather create than copy or try to keep up with  the trends on social media.

some of the old skills are worth bring back to prepare young people for life. I’m connected to experts on personal finance, which is another are not taught in schools and the biggest cause of broken marriages. my point being I can likely tip some of these folks as guest speakers.

I also think youth benefit from cross generational interactions. working in colbaration with younger kids and seniors fosters community. As you can tell I’m passionate about this topic, we are building a website as soon as it’d complete I will send you the link.

All the best,

Demi

[Claudia331]

@Demi2 thank you again for your passion and your precious contribute on this topic!

I love knitting, my children learnt knitting from my mom, happy to know your positive experience with young on this...

I agree with you, a concrete work is a good way to enhance necessary skills to face life

I'm sure that we'll find a way to collaborate in the future 

[Adrian2296]

@Claudia331 It's a great project! I'd love to be a part of and visit myself. I'm also interested in Airbnb home exchange swapping. 

[Claudia331]

@Adrian2296

You are welcome!

Let's share your experience if you know something similar in your area or country...

What is intersting with this post and those will follow written by Marielle in a french village and by Rie in a japanese resort,  is knowing if in different part of the world we can find project or hospitality activities (using airnbn channel) which give places a new life and help them to repopulate

Thanks for your feedback and see you soon

Claudia

[Sarah5000]

@Claudia331 Thanks for sharing this exciting news! I believe this place will be popular again with your creative ideas. 

[Claudia331]

@Sarah5000 thank you for your wishes 

This is our dream 🥰

[Daniel1651]

I am excited to read this article @Claudia331

Thank you for sharing this story and inspiring us, from one side of the planet to the other.

I have been fortunate enough to visit you, dear friend, and learn first-hand the details of this lovely project.

I must say that I love this paragraph that so genuinely describes your and Valentina's dream: "Our idea is to show them a world in which they feel autonomous, meet people their age, discover the nature of the area and learn to take care of themselves and protect its environment. We hope it will once again be a place that energizes our local community."

Congratulations to both of you and hope to see you soon!

I wish you all the best 🙂

Daniel.-

[Claudia331]

@Daniel1651  thank you for this message and for your encouragement and positivity

Do you know projects in your area which have the same aim, giving people and territories new life and attempting to repopulate them? 

In Italy there is at the moment a big movement about this issue even if is not easy because many places have not the basic condition to permit a development

The debate is interesting and show the possibility to find a new way of life, slower, more human-scale… 

[Daniel1651]

Hey @Claudia331 

Here, in the Canary Islands, there is a nice project called "Pueblos Remotos" where the organisers invite remote workers to stay and live a real experience in very remote towns, connecting local people with guests. In this way, very beautiful synergies are generated that enrich the experience in both senses, for the local population and the visitors ❤️