tions. Yet, things are changing in rural
Central Italy. The exodus to the city is
slowing down and many people are discov-
ering or re-discovering ruralness not only
as a lifestyle, but also as a livelihood
opportunity. The story of Giancarlo and
Agostino, Zi’ Bruno’s nephews, illustrates
how this new “ruralness” relates to the
economic, social and cultural background
of ancient Umbrian peasantry. It also
shows how hybridisation between this her-
itage and the opportunities offered by a
burgeoning agro-tourism market has con-
tributed to the development of a new form
of sustainable forest use.
Giancarlo and Agostino Bevilacqua are
Nonno Pietro’s sons. Like Zi’ Bruno, Nonno
Pietro has spent most of his life in
Acqualacastagna with his wife Nonna
Melinda, exploiting his share of the family
land and forest. The married couple gave
the two children the opportunity to attend
school in Spoleto. Thus, for most of their
childhood and teenage years, Giancarlo
and Agostino commuted daily to town,
together with the other kids from
Acqualacastagna and the neighboring vil-
lage of Montebibbico (most of whom were
relatives). Yet, they spent most of their
afternoons, weekends and holidays in the
countryside. There were not many things
to do in the village for a kid. Galloping on
local packhorses on the lumber trails in the
forest up to the open upland prairies was
perhaps the most exciting activity. Thus,
the two brothers and their friends became
expert and reckless riders. As soon as they
started earning some money from summer
jobs, the packhorses were replaced with
better and faster animals, which were kept
in their fathers’ stables. Agostino and
Giancarlo, who are now in their forties,
remember this period as the most carefree
and happy of their life. But childhood is
short in the countryside and the time soon
came for them to find their way in adult
life and marry.
During the 1970s, the Umbrian upland
offered almost no opportunities for a
young man. Farms were neither large nor
productive enough to support more than
one family. Moreover, girls were not willing
to live in the countryside. The only reason-
able thing that a young man could do was
to look for a job in town. Giancarlo went to
the nearby iron and steel center of Terni
where he got a blue-collar job. Agostino
moved to Spoleto, where he undertook dif-
ferent jobs and enterprises. The city was
generous with the two young men: in a
few years they saved enough money to
buy a house and married Clara and
Giuliana, two handsome and well-to-do
girls. Yet, they continued to assist their
parents in running the family farm during
the weekend and the holidays. They also
continued to meet with a group of old
friends (most of whom had also migrated
to town) to eat, drink wine and ride hors-
es.
One day after lunch somebody came up
with the idea of opening a horse-riding
center in the area. “You know – the man
said – I have got friends in Terni and
Spoleto who own horses and who are sick
and tired of these fancy horse-riding clubs
for rich people. They are looking for a
cheaper place to keep and ride their ani-
mals. I also met these people from the
Horse Tourism Association. These guys are
very different from those snobs of the
horse-jumping federation. They told me
that in Perugia and in Rome there are
many people willing and capable to pay for
doing what we always did: riding horses in
the forest and mountains. They describe it
with an English phrase: “horseback
trekking”. Here, we have land and stables
where horses can be kept, we have fodder
and water, we know how to manage the
animals, we know each and every path in
this area... So, why don’t we open a horse
trekking center? I believe that we should
try.” This speech triggered a discussion
that lasted until there was no wine left in
History, cculture aand cconservation
