Val Nardis as told by Francesca
Francesca, born in 1979, philosopher and web content creator, a single mother, devourer of hikes and DIY builder. Perpetually on the go, constantly running out of time.
Who is Francesca?She used to live in the province of Milan, but her heart always belonged to Val Rendena. In the city she felt she was in the wrong place. At the age of 12, her family moved permanently to Carisolo, her mother’s home town and the destination of her holidays. Francesca finally felt at home. “As a child I would go to the mountains, they were family outings with uncles and cousins, nothing complicated. I felt good in the mountains then and I feel good there now. I mean that I feel in tune with the pace of everyday life in the mountains with all their pros and cons, not just in the sense of trails and peaks.
Since then I have been out walking more and more, each time a little higher, each time a little further. I started hiking in Italy and abroad (the Camino Primitivo of Santiago, La Ruta de Pedra en Sec in Majorca, the Fishermen’s Trail in Portugal, the Cammino di San Vili in Trentino, the Via Francigena in Sicily, the Sentiero Frassati, the Via degli Dei from Bologna to Florence, the Cammino di Francesco and the Cammino dei Borghi Silenti in Umbria, the Cammino di San Pietro Eremita in Lazio, etc.) and exploring the less-travelled valleys in our region.
I like to explore, to “get lost” in ancient and decadent villages among the mountain peaks, among the local people and flavours, and then find myself back home, in the house I am building for myself, a nest perched on a steep mountainside, just outside the village. And after exploring the world, at home I explore wood, stone, masonry and other materials. At this moment in my life I call myself a DIY builder. Inspiration comes to me mostly from nature, from old recycled objects, from some need”.
Being outdoors is a necessity, as is climbing along trails, preferably steep, isolated ones.
Why Val Nardis? “I have walked the Val Nardis dozens of times: to reach the start of other hikes, to go foraging for mushrooms, to release daily stress, and each time I have loved it, like all the side valleys of the Val Genova. It is a valley that never lets up, it takes you from the forest to where the vegetation thins out and up over the rocks and bivouac shelters to the summit of Presanella. You must always pay it the proper respect. In the mountains I feel free, I can think calmly, the fatigue of the climb is a panacea. Walking allows me to be entirely in the present. What is important comes to the surface by itself, from the silence emerge sounds, scents, landscapes and beauty. This keeps you company, fills every void and brings a smile to your face. Some days nothing more is needed”.
