Damanhur
&
Valchiusella

The Way: arriving on the way to the summer gathering of the RIVE

“On the Way to the RIVE Summer Gathering – Exploring Damanhur and the Communities of the Valchiusella Valley” is a journey that takes us into the natural and social richness of the Valchiusella Valley, the area with the highest density of intentional communities in Italy.

The trip will once again give us the opportunity to slowly arrive at the summer meeting of RIVE, the Italian network of ecovillages and intentional communities, which this year will be held in Vidracco from July 23 to 27, with the full participation of Damanhur, also to celebrate the 50th anniversary of what has become a federation of communities and the largest community reality in Europe.

This is the second year that we have come to the Summer Gathering on foot, creating a temporary community among the walkers and also starting the discussion on some of the themes of the Gathering, and we are repeating the experience in collaboration with RIVE, also because of the exciting results of the last edition.

By participating in this walk, you will have the opportunity to visit the four main communities of Damanhur and many of their living cores, which are not always accessible to the public. The cores, true ecovillages, house up to 20-30 people each and are models of sustainability and sharing that enhance the expression of the talents of the place and those who live there. In fact, during the initial exploration, we were amazed at how different they were from each other.

We have developed the trail in close collaboration with representatives of the Damanhur Federation, whose patronage we have, ensuring that travelers receive an authentic welcome and the opportunity to discover many aspects of their community life. In addition to Damanhur, the trail passes through other communities, some historic, some emerging, offering a comprehensive overview of the diversity and vitality of the community experience in Valchiusella.

This alpine valley, in addition to its municipal richness, will give us silence, forests, a stream with crystal clear water where we can bathe, sauna and pool, lakes, pastures and views of the surrounding mountains. We will leave from the plains and close in the plains where, after a visit to La Bolla and the park and castle of Agliè, we will conclude with a final lunch at Porta della Terra, the last Damanhurian outpost in the Canavese region.

There will be many moments of quiet walking on the journey, and there will be optional Qi Gong and meditation practices.

There are two parts to the walk, which can be done independently. The first, from Saturday, July 19 to Wednesday, July 23, will take us to the Gathering; and the second, from Sunday, July 27 to Wednesday, July 30, will conclude our exploration of the area.

We will be accompanied by Manul, a well known local guide.