Marika Ciaccia: “So walking healed me, but I prefer slow sport to competitiveness. It’s for everyone “

He learned to walk twice, Marika Ciacciavery popular travel blogger on social networks and on his page My life in trekauthor of the book Happiness at my feet (Edizioni Terra Santa), environmental hiking guide and trekking organizer: “Yes, I say it every time, but that’s it – he explains without losing his smile -. I stood straight on my legs when I was very little and a second time… after the illness “. That is one deep vein thrombosis one leg and onepulmonary embolism highly disabling, pathologies that hit her when she was just 18 (today she is 31). As a sign of her resilience, Marika was able to transform the indications given to her by the doctors once she was healed – “You have to walk” – in his new life project which has become his job.

Marika Ciaccia (31 years old) now lives in Turin

“So I started and, little by little, I never stopped: at first I tried to take small walks back and forth outside the house or I tried to cross squares and walk up and down sidewalks, over time I felt that the asphalt and the city smog was not for me and I moved to the woods, finding a new dimension that totally regenerated me “, Marika Ciaccia confides in Light!reached at International Stock Exchange for Sports Tourism & Thermal Wellness 2022, which was held from 6 to 9 October at the Hotel Hermitage – La Biodola, on the Island of Elba (Livorno), where she was a speaker. Theme of the days, lo Slow sportthat is sport to reconcile body and mind, “getting closer to nature, preserving one’s health, integrating physical activity with wellness practices”, explains Marika Ciaccia.



A way of traveling that you feel you can recommend to everyone?

“Of course, walking is good for the body but, primarily, It soothes my soul. And I am the living testimony of it. Thanks to the mountains and the Way I learned to face my fears, making them a strength and today I try to convey the same spirit through my site My life in trekhoping to see more and more people walking around the paths of the world “.

All this putting one step after another, in fact.

“That’s it: walking I learned about my limits, my body and my way of dealing with difficulties, discovering that there was nothing to be afraid of out there. As an insecure teenager, I turned into an independent woman, who could no longer tolerate living in oppressive situations that were not very relevant to natural human needs “.

How did the idea of ​​turning your passion into a job come about?

“Being a travel blogger is only part of what I do, the tip of the iceberg: in addition to telling my adventures on the web in the hope of inspiring the people who follow me, I write books, I write in trade magazines, I participate in events like this one and I’m an environmental hiking guide. In my career I also found myself managing tourism projects behind the scenes, and this led me to know the needs of entrepreneurs, politicians, hoteliers and, of course, tourists, being an active part of them “.

Marika Ciaccia, very popular travel blogger on social networks and on her page 'My life in trek, author of the book' Happiness at my feet '(Edizioni Terra Santa), environmental hiking guide and trekking organizer:
Marika Ciaccia, very popular travel blogger on social networks and on her page ‘My life in trek, author of the book’ Happiness at my feet ‘(Edizioni Terra Santa), environmental hiking guide and trekking organizer:

What does it offer to travelers eager to set out?

“When I work on the promotion of a package or an activity, I always try to connect the different needs of all the players involved, for the success of the project. But it is increasingly evident that tourism, and the tourist, is changing “.

In which direction?

“I could give a thousand examples, starting with places like Venice, which from a symbolic city in the world, due to their uniqueness, have been depleted and more and more similar to Gardaland, eviscerated of their beauty; up to the most famous places on Instagram, the ones where we all want to go just to collect the souvenir photo, with the result of being in the midst of mass tourism and having difficulty enjoying the site. Moreover, what about the local inhabitants? Either they adapt to that type of market, limiting their growth possibilities, or they have to go elsewhere and leave their home “.

Where does the desire for slowness come from, in a world that is running faster and faster?

“I think it’s one of the few positive legacies left by the pandemic; the need for authentic experiences, to slow down, for local tourism, for memories that can enrich our daily life after returning from vacation, to respect nature, our body and our spirituality “.

Marika Ciaccia, very popular travel blogger on social networks and on her page 'My life in trek, author of the book' Happiness at my feet '(Edizioni Terra Santa), environmental hiking guide and trekking organizer:
Marika Ciaccia, very popular travel blogger on social networks and on her page ‘My life in trek, author of the book’ Happiness at my feet ‘(Edizioni Terra Santa), environmental hiking guide and trekking organizer:

In the series, the destination is no longer chosen based on the question “where am I going?” but on the basis of “why do I want to go?”

“Exactly: for a positive outcome of the trip you need good assistance, some extra pampering that makes sure that you don’t feel like” a number “, adequate prices based on the different target audiences, because it is not possible to charge an overnight stay for a hiker who stops one or two evenings as for a person who does the whole week at the beach. They also have different needs, if the classic tourist wants to be spoiled in everything, the slow tourist has more spartan and basic needs, he prefers to chat rather than additional services “.

A tip to put in your backpack?

“Get out of the house and explore the surroundings. You don’t need to go to the other side of the world and this makes you better know the beauties of the place where you live. A simple gesture like walking will give you the opportunity to rearrange your thoughts, to breathe deeply, to return home recharged and with the desire to do more and do it better. It literally changed my life for me “.

Marika Ciaccia: “So walking healed me, but I prefer slow sport to competitiveness. It’s for everyone ”