Cristofero Costanzo: “Between almonds and olive trees I bet on agricamping in Sicily” | Changing Sicily

Enna – The Sicilian hinterland, among crops, woods and hills, is an area waiting to be discovered and which is slowly, also thanks to many young entrepreneurs who decide to stay or return to the island, attracting more and more attention from tourists search for contact with the most authentic territory. That’s why when Cristofero Costanzo had the idea of ​​opening a camping site in Sicilyin his Villa Gerace, certainly had a good intuition.

In the large company in Gerace, in the province of Enna, Cristofero immediately thought of including the possibility of host campers and campers who, from all over Italy and especially from abroad, arrive in Sicily just looking for relaxation, slow tourism, nature and relaxed rhythms. And in fact this new agricamping in Sicily born in 2021 is the flagship and most original service of this place surrounded by greenery that conquers tourists just as it conquered the then young entrepreneur a few years earlier.

CRISTOFERO’S INTUITION: OPEN AN AGRICAMPGROUND IN SICILY

«It was 2017 when I literally fell in love with this place», says Cristofero, who is now 35 years old and lives in Villa Gerace together with his partner. «I decided – he continues – to launch myself into this big one adventure between agri-food, catering and hospitality, leaving Germany where I had been for almost ten years. Mine is a somewhat particular story. I was born and raised in Sicily and as a child I was always with my grandparents while my parents emigrated to Germany”

«After graduating – he says – I went to Rome to study Sociology and then I also moved to Germany to join my parents and start working in the family ice cream shops. Things were going well, but my heart told me to keep looking at my land and one day I asked a local agency to let me know when it was available. a small plot of land where I would have gladly built a little house surrounded by greenery so I can come on holiday and perhaps move there in the future.”

However, fate has a hand in it and the real estate agent encourages Cristofero to take a look at a vast agricultural land. «He told me: it’s not exactly a small plot, but I have a place to show you and I’m sure you will fall in love with it. It was this wonderful place planted with olive groves, almond trees and wheat. A very vast agricultural plot that it immediately brought back memories of my childhood years, when for me it was a great celebration to spend the days with my grandfather in the Dittaino valley sowing wheat”, he confesses.

This is how Cristofero decided to bet and think that this would be his new life and in 2020, thanks to the pandemic, he decided to bet everything on Villa Gerace Azienda Bio, leaving Germany. The company was reborn with the aim of create a natural oasis for the well-being of the visitor while respecting the millenary balance of nature: a place, as Cristofero says, «where you can nourish your body and soul with local organic products on a restorative journey». A place in the Sicilian hinterland that many associations are increasingly trying to enhance and promote such as Inner Sicily, for example.

FROM OIL TO ALMONDS, THE AGRI-FOOD EXCELLENCE OF VILLA GERACE

Today Villa Gerace – where Cristofero’s parents also come more and more often – is a concentration of activity, from the cultivation of certified products such as almonds and olives – which are transformed into the renowned Don Carlo extra virgin olive oil – to ancient wheat transformed into flour to be used in the kitchens of the Villa Gerace restaurant which offers typical and local dishes, cooked according to the Sicilian tradition. «We try to do everything locally, with great attention to environmental and social sustainabilityand above all ensuring safety and quality for our guests.”

Guests who increasingly arrive in the heart of the island, precisely looking for the agricamping solution, to discover rural traditions and the most hidden nature and enjoy the tranquility in the shade of the olive trees by choosing to stay in a tent, in a camper or in houses. «Ours is an agri-campsite in Sicily dedicated to relaxation in the midst of nature overlooking the valley of the Gerace village. Campsites in Sicily are often on the sea, but I, perhaps also due to my experience in Germany, saw a certain demand for this type of accommodation.” And so, between pitches for tents under the olive trees, outdoor showers, barbeque and swimming pool, the Villa Gerace agricamping was gradually born.

A type of accommodation that looks at slow tourism and the possibility of coming into contact with local traditions. This is why Villa Gerace Azienda Bio immediately embraced the collaboration project between Kore Siciliae companies, with a view to being part of a virtuous circuit that acts as a driving force for the promotion of the agri-food excellence of Ennese and its naturalistic and historical beauties.