Smells of the Desert

Tomorrow at 7pm we will have an event at the headquarters of Focus in Milan, where Daniel, who organizes trips with Desert Therapy, has set up an interesting journey through three symbolic places of our planet, the Gobi desert, the ice of Antarctica and Deserts of sand. Each of these environments is characterized by a perfume created especially by an expert in smells and hence the desert can be identified and remembered by the smell. I have not had a chance to smell it, I prefer to be surprised but I guess that the aroma will be very particular and will carry my mind to the memories of the great expanses of sand dunes, fields in the sand, and intense moments lived in that wonderful place. Within the exhibit there will also be the backpack of my last challenge and other items that have accompanied me during the crossings. Often smelling a fragrance brings our thoughts to a place that struck us and left an important and often pleasant memory: being able to return to the Desert thanks to this, is truly exceptional.

Sand

How wonderful is sand! Soft, pliable, always different: it is a pleasure to see and touch. The desert is made of sand that changes all the time, changing colors and texture, but the charm remains the same. It comes natural to caress it, sinking your feet and hands into it, to feel it give in and adapt to our body when we lie down on it, to sense its heat never excessive, like a hug. Far from the desert I miss it so much, and I always dream to have a room with sand floors, in which to stand barefoot or sit down to regain my thoughts and cleanse my soul, to keep calm me and carry me home after each trip and that makes even the darkest, stormy days, sweet and full of smiles. I keep a container with my sand in each room, and look at them and caress them often while I work. I remember the exact point where I have collected them and their presence helps me to return there, the place I love and feel close to even in everyday life, to accompany me in the path of every day.

After the desert

It 's the question most frequently asked to me: what happens after returning from a trip in the desert? Sometimes it is difficult to explain to those who we have never been in a desert, how it feels when you return. Everybody reacts in different ways: personally for a few days I'm still there, between the dunes and I try to keep as long as possible the feeling that physically and mentally this place can induce. Then inevitably everyday life with all its problems tends to seize every moment of the day and then the thought comes back from the sand and sky, a reminder that life can be lived in a different way, trying to contain our worries and problems, without allowing them to dominate and take over. It is true that one can not ignore these, but we can give them their rightful place within a day. The desert can help carve out a space only for us, where we can take shelter in difficult times and give us the energy and the calm necessary to tackle what lies ahead. This happens to me but also to all the friends who have traveled up to date with Desert Therapy: delivered daily by their testimonies that confirm the benefits that this experience has left in their soul. I will publish soon some of them: so also those who have not yet met the Desert, can realize how the encounter with this amazing place can improve lives.

INCREDABLE

Every time I'm amazed when I see the effect the desert has on our new travelers with Desert Therapy. Some strange alchemy that can not be explained, materializes in the very moment in which we begin to walk. Even in Morocco this has been the case. Each participant has interpreted the trip in a very personal way, but the result does not change. Eloise has walked only with her socks, to hear even more clearly the sand, often far from the group, together with dromedaries carrying the material. Marijana instead seemed to want to embrace the desert and kept repeating that he was living a dream. Paolo used to traveling on the motorcycle, with shining eyes for emotion, said that for the first time he met the real desert. And then Claudio, dubbed Ali Baba, made everyone in the group die of laughter, but then at times sought solitude sitting on top of the dunes. Annalisa and Enrichette, always smiling, were already planning the next trip with Desert Therapy. Fiorella and Gilberto, convinced by their daughter to come, never ceased to fill their eyes at the sight of such a beautiful, breathtaking landscape. Leda, who this time had replaced Max on the task of accompanying the trip, was delighted to be able to relive the experience of last year and claimed that she will return there in the desert soon. But for me, whenever I return to the desert it is as if I am home. No matter what the venue, I just need to be there in the desert, to experience a great sense of well being to fill the body and mind.

Ready to leave

Tomorrow Desert Therapy will depart for a new trip: destination Morocco. We will return to the place we visited a year ago but this time the itinerary will be different and even better. For four days we will walk through the dunes to experience the emotions that each Desert Therapy trip provides, together with our eight new travel companions, all enthusiastic about the idea of facing a new experience. I will walk with them and help them experience the magic of this special place and in the evening around the fire we will talk, sipping on our wonderful mint tea which is prepared by our beduine guides. It will be a trip full of surprises and our footprints in the sand, accompanied by those of the caravan of camels, leaving traces that the wind will cancel soon after. But the memories will remain forever, unforgettable, in the spirits of the travellers.

In Sicily

Fabio and I will be in Sicily for three days to promote our new book. It will be a busy tour but one full of satisfaction, that begins tomorrow evening in Caltanissetta in the splendid Barile Villa, hosted by Angle of Adventure. The next day we will be in Messina in the Visconti Ballroom where Daniela Bonanzinga has organized a important event together with the Union for the Blind and we will end our trip with a meeting Saturday in Catania at the Cavallotto Library.
The public is anxiously waiting and are curious to meet not only me in person, but above all Fabio, who will tell with great passion, as always, about our adventure in the White Desert. I have already been to Sicily before to participate in events and presentations, and each time it is a great pleasure to return. The warmth of the people, the enthusiasm and the beautiful scenery surprise me each time. I will describe to Fabio, as I did in the desert, what is around us and he will surely be able to, with his great sensitivity, appreciate all of its appeal.

Antonio Soccol the great journalist, is missed. For many years he directed NO LIMITS WORLD, the mythical magazine dedicated to the extreme, and he sponsored the epic story of Team Sector No Limits.
For us athletes, Antonio was an important reference point, who told about our adventures with professionalism but above all with great passion. I still remember his joke, when I called him after having completed the crossing of the Salar de Uyuni, in Bolivia. When he heard that I had completed the challenge in 6 days he exclaimed: “you took less time than God took to create the work!” We met each other by chance, after I crossed the desert with the caravan of salt in 1991. In front of an elevator door, while I was telling him of my experience, a friendship was born and my life changed. Thanks to him I entered into Team No Limits and from there began the collaboration that followed me through my crossings of the deserts of the world.
Thank you Antonio, for your calm, your balance, thanks for your advice and for always helping me and following me with passion during my challenges. NO LIMITS WORLD was an important point of reference for all of us athletes, before and after every departure for a new adventure. I will never forget you.