We have met many Italians who have moved to Greece, but never have we had such a strong impression of acquired belonging to the new land as in meeting Giuliana and Stefano. A love, knowledge and care in integration that we have only encountered in mixed couples, where cultures naturally mix within the walls of the home.
In the case of Giuliana and Stefano's life change, it is, in fact, the 'marriage' between them and the island that welcomes them: Sifnos.
What strikes one immediately is the passion, that feeling of hearing about the island not only in terms of its mere beauty (and Sifnos deserves this without reservation), what is fascinating is that sort of mysterious and mystical symbiosis that has been created between these friends of ours and the Cycladic island which, we like to think, has chosen them as its inhabitants.
Sifnos, in itself, immediately appeared to us as an island that still retains that original flavour that is evaporating elsewhere, in the perhaps too warm embrace of mass tourism that seems destined to spare no patch of land.
This impression, confirmed by our exploration of the island, comes alive and becomes full reality in the words our friends use in telling us about the island and its culture.
In the words of Giuliana and Stefano, the beautiful insight of the American writer Cormac McCarthy seems to be realised when he says, and I quote from memory: 'the world is not the place we inhabit, but a place that dwells within our hearts'. To know it, therefore, we need to know the hearts of the people who inhabit it.
These words seem to be evoked when Giuliana and Stefano tell of having chosen the island, yes for its undeniable beauty, but above all for the people who inhabit it.
Over the years, they have dedicated themselves to getting to know the heart of the people who inhabit the island of Sifnos, and it is through the people that they have come to know and love the island.
In order to do so, they have first of all studied the language, then the traditions, especially the religious ones, which on this Aegean island are among the most widespread in the whole archipelago.
In a few days' time, we will publish a small insert on a Panegiri, the religious feast in which we participated with them and which Stefano explained for the Channel's friends.
Giuliana and Stefano have poured their love for the island of Sifnos into an exploration activity, as it were, not for tourist purposes :) , for those who really want to get to know the soul of this land and taste its typical and hidden products.
To those who still believe that travelling is about knowing and not merely consuming, we willingly and heartily recommend a tour of the island under their guidance :
www.slowsifnos.com
This is the site to refer to, and the title says it all...
I could write many more pages, but I think there is nothing better than listening from their voices to the tale of this island that has already remained in our hearts too.
Thank you Giuliana and Stefano for this beautiful emotion.
#greece #storyhunterstv #livingabroad
_______
You can visit their website if you would like to have a guided experience on the island: www.slowsifnos.com
____________
Moving abroad becomes an example that many expatriate Italians we interviewed give us with their exciting life stories. To facilitate your search, we invite you to follow the link to our site below, where you can find our video interviews divided by country:
www.storyhunte...