by Jackie Kerns (Spokane, WA)WHY ARE WE ATTRACTED to Cagli I ask? Is it the genuine smiles from people like Mimmi who owns the cafe on the corner, the fact you can order a pannio and pay later if you do not have the euro or is it the crisp, clean and cool air on the mountain that casts an italian shadow over the piazza?
Perhaps all three can be attributed to this immediate affinity for the village, but one things is for sure, Cagli is so removed from reality, tourists and what we are used to and it makes me love this village. There is no english spoken here, no tourists with maps or foreigners stopping every four yards to take a photo of the next place or thing of interest written in the latest edition of the highly acclaimed Rick Steves travel books. Instead we are left to venture out on our own. We are forced to meet the locals who call Cagli home and we are met with the challenge to uncover the treasures and mysteries through wandering the cobblestone imbedded roads and making sense of this 13th century town.
But I wonder how long will it take for the village of Cagli to fall into the same tourism trap as the rest of the charming areas of Italy. The Cinque Terre known for its mystique and nautical beauty is covered with tourists. When word gets out about these tiny and charming villages foreigners seem to flock to these places to do the same as us and get away from it all. I hope that by reporting on this village both through journalism and photojournalism and by telling our tales when we get home that Cagli does not change.
I fear that one day I run into Rick Steves and talk to him about Cagli because I know that his gift for writing and description would be an instant seller and that Cagli would become another one of Italy’s places of interest and allure.
