Sustainable tourism: The "Fiori di Campo" cooperative in Sicily, a property confiscated from the mafia.

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN SICILY –

The social cooperative Freely, which won the Edison Start Award for the three most innovative and sustainable start-ups with the project “Wildflowers“, is involved in the homonymous cooperative in making sustainable tourism in a property confiscated from the mafia. “Fiori di campo” is located in the municipality of Cinisi, in the province of Palermo: the founders won the property in 2012 through a public tender, transforming it into a social cooperative.

ALSO READ: Marco Tricarico, 100 km solo. Donating to charity by cycling around the world.

“Thanks to the help of Libera volunteers, we have started a recovery process of confiscated property, which has become a cultural center,” he said Francis Constantine, a founding member of the social cooperative. The ultimate goal is to transform the five villas in the complex into a service open especially to disadvantaged groups such as minors, disabled people, elderly people and less well-off people, doing social tourism.

FIELD SNAKES –

The confiscated property “Ciuri di Campo”, dedicated to Peppino Impastato, it is found at Cinisi Marina, 300 meters from the sea. Participants will collaborate with members of the Libera-Mente cooperative, who reside on site, and the local associations, coordinating the works, activities, logistics and services, in order to use this common “heritage”, contributing to the realization of the ethical tourism projects and on the nascent educational company.

“A tourism where people come not only to be hosted and enjoy the sea, which is 300 meters away, but which valorizes the confiscated property, which becomes common heritage by making activities that concern the themes of critical consumption, legality and a healthy economy“, added Constantine. I 100mila euros The funds received from winning the Edison Start award will be used to cover the project's expenses, which over the three years has encountered and overcome many challenges. The initiative aims to buck the trend of mass tourism by creating a vacation home or hostel that welcomes children, seniors, and families.

TO LEARN MORE: The Zibibbo of Pantelleria, a UNESCO World Heritage Site