Friday 10 May at 6.00pm
Laterza bookshop presents
“The Tornanza. Future-oriented returns and additions”
Stories of “hairpin bends”, of dreams and success in the volume
by Antonio Prota and Flavio R. Albano.
A video podcast is also coming out.
More than a book, an idea, a philosophy, a real cultural movement. AND “The Tornanza. Future-oriented returns and grafts”, the volume of Antonio Prota And Flavio R. Albano (Laterza Edizioni) which will be presented Friday 10 May at 6.00pm at the Laterza bookshop in Bari (Via Dante Alighieri 49). The two authors will talk with the journalist Enrica Simonetti (La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno).
The book, published by Laterza Editions, celebrates the extraordinary stories of people who have decided to leave in search of professional, educational and successful opportunities, to then return to their roots and actively contribute to building positive change in their community of origin. The hairpin bend is the shooting star that lights the way, it is a seed that knows how to recognize the earth for its growth, it is the door open to the world. There are those who have returned to revive an ancient farm and brought to light a now extinct mulberry tree, those who emigrated to Canada at 17 years old and since then, every year, return to the Dauni Mountains in the summer as if Italy it was all there, who exported his idea of tourism to the United States and who knows, if it had been a hairpin bend, how he would have turned his small Sicilian town upside down. And there are many other anecdotes and reflections in which the culture of dreams acts as a compass. Because “the hairpin bends are healthy carriers of dreams and awareness”.
“La Tornanza moves through the depths of human relationships and connection with one’s land, exploring the innate desire for return that defines our relationship with places and with ourselves. The hairpin bend, the protagonist of this narrative, is not only those who return, but those who bring with them the transformation, a new way of seeing, a renewed future for the community that embraces”, he declares Flavio R. Albano .“AND a human and geographical journey, which rediscovers the roots and projects them towards a possible and vibrant tomorrow of changes and hopes. A book that invites us to reflect on what it really means to return, not only to a place, but to the essence of our existence”.
“La Tornanza is a hymn to the rediscovery of our origins and the transformative potential of the return – he adds Antonio Prota -. This work guides us through the stories of those who, after traveling and living far away, choose to return to their roots with a new vision. Each return is described as a flow of energy and ideas that renews and enriches, challenging the static nature of the known. The book celebrates the value of personal and cultural connection with one’s territory, showing how the hairpin, the protagonist of these returns, becomes a catalyst for significant changes and a builder of more resilient and inclusive communities. A profound exploration of how return can be a source of social and cultural innovation.”
One hundred and sixty pages enriched with author’s shots, which take the reader elsewhere to return home with mind and heart. All the chapters are linked by a single common thread: the reflection – philosophical, social, cultural – prompted by an encounter, the desire to do something for one’s land.
But The Tornanza it’s not just a book. It is an editorial project that also includes a traveling video podcast, which led the authors on a journey to the lands of hairpin bends, to the depopulated villages between Puglia, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria. A human and geographical itinerary between stories of determination and courage, which rediscovers the roots and projects them towards a possible and vibrant tomorrow of changes and hopes. The trailer of the podcast is available from April 24th on all the main platforms and from May 21st it will also be possible to listen to the stories of the hairpin bends. Thousands of them can be told. All different. But all with common characteristics starting from the love for their land and the desire to redeem it.
Thanks to the different multimedia languages used, the objective of The Tornanza is to reach as many people as possible and give life to a real cultural movement, that can impact the places of origin to combat depopulation in the villages, reducing imbalances between economies, through the development of a sustainable and shared vision of the future that reaches the outskirts. A vision of Italy that starts from the essence of the Villages as entities capable of conveying and enhancing the fundamental values of the local cultural heritage.
And here the book and the podcast are also joined by the “La Tornanza” recognition dedicated to the extraordinary stories of individuals who, having set out in search of professional, educational and successful opportunities, then chose to return to their origins and actively contribute to the construction of a positive change in your community. A recognition that the authors of the book will donate to the participants with the aim of inspiring others to follow their ambitions and actively contribute to their social context. A demonstration that the success of others can become a powerful engine for the growth and progress of one’s community. The ideas and sensations stimulated by new realities become a seed of regeneration.
THE AUTHORS OF THE PROJECT
Flavio R. Albano, former researcher and contract professor of Economics and Business Management for the University of Bari and of Brand Management in the MBA Master’s Degree at the University of Basilicata, today he is an entrepreneur and has been dealing with marketing and digital innovation for several years. He has been the author of books, scientific publications and speaker at various international conferences.
Antonio Prota he is an expert in tourism and territorial marketing, with important entrepreneurial and managerial activities carried out in Italy, Africa, the Caribbean and the United States. He is currently president of the Greenroad.it Network Contract, a green economy model for the eco-compatible growth of territories. He was winner of the OK Italia Unicredit award 2011, Premio Neruda award 2017, author of books and speaker at various international conferences.
