San Lorenzo Bellizzi, a small village nestled in the heart of the Pollino National Park, will be the scene of a new festival, called “Il Festival del Fare Paese”, dedicated to the care and culture of the “country”, understood as a dimension of doing and existing, of being and resisting.
The event, realized with the support of CSV Cosenza within the Piazze del Volontariato, is organized by the Manola Sanlo Odv Association which, by networking with the territorial institutions, the local associations, and the local commercial activities, has managed to transform a simple impulse of intent into an active and effective network, which has given life to a program, a chronological map of a festival cut to human scale, rich and of appointments.
The festival will take place on July 13 and 14 and will open with a press conference at 9:00 a.m. that will take place in Piazza Largo behind the church. The opening event, coordinated by journalist Andrea Mazzotta, will be attended by Maria Carmela Campolongo, president of the association, Antonio Cersosimo, mayor of San Lorenzo Bellizzi, Silvia Cafora, representing the Collettivo Frange Mobili, Domenico Pietro Pesce, representing the Association “I ragazzi di San Lorenzo Bellizzi”, Lorenzo Cersosimo, vice president of the Alto Ionio Civil Protection, Salvatore Mastrota, representative of Terra Viva CISL in San Lorenzo, Pasquale Agrelli, president of the Proloco del Pollino orientale, Franco Bruno, president of the ADS San Lorenzo Bellizzi, Vincenzo Armentano, president of the Pro Sant’Anna Committee, Gaetano Perrone for Oltretimpe Outdoor, in an illustrative and certainly not exhaustive list of the many local entities involved.
The purpose of the event is to tell the story of the “Country” dimension as a place of the soul, full of life, where time flows and does not run, in a context not for this reason devoid of dynamic opportunities for entertainment, cultural and social growth, which draw strength from the peculiarities of the place, its landscape richness and its food excellences, as well as in the strength deriving from the welcoming ability of the citizens of San Lorenzo Bellizzi.
After the press conference, the festival will continue with a series of activities such as guided tours of the area by the Aigae Environmental Guides, events dedicated to children, educational visits to local companies linked to the sector of typical local food products, screening of animated films for children and, in the evening, opening of the food and wine stands with typical products followed by the screening of the documentary film linked to the experience of the Trap Festival 2023. Day 14 instead, after an excursion to Pietra Sant’Angelo, a large limestone outcrop located in the municipal territory of San Lorenzo Bellizzi, will focus on the conviviality of a musical aperitif, accompanied by stands full of typical local products, including those curated by the famous bakers of San Lorenzo Bellizzi, and enriched by the screening of the film “Inshallah” followed by a debate.
The discovery of an ancient village, of a town, of its rhythms, of the typical features that characterize it is always an experience that marks the personal imagination, as those who want to experience the intense and very interesting program of the Festival del Fare Paese, from 13 to 14 July, in San Lorenzo Bellizzi, will discover.
