Optimistic tourist by nature

Osvaldo, when did your passion for travel and tourism begin?

Well, what can I say. After millions of kilometers traveled to tell the beauties of our planet, I have often asked myself this question. Today I would say that I was born with this destiny. Perhaps the stars are right, you know, I was born under the sign of Sagittarius, and although I have always been skeptical about horoscopes, there may indeed be some truth to it.

What do you mean?

I read somewhere that according to astrological tradition, Sagittarius is a fire sign that seems to love movement very much and is therefore considered the traveler of the Zodiac. They say that it loves adventure and all kinds of travel, as long as it is always on the move.

Looking at your life, it seems that you have fully realized this inclination, but you have also brought us all the joy and beauty of discovery inherent in every journey, from day trips to the most adventurous excursions in natural paradises. Is there more to traveling than just pleasure?

I must confess that I have always felt a strong, almost vocational pleasure in telling what I was discovering during my travels, and this has been the case since I was a child, when I followed my parents on vacation to the sea or the mountains. Even back then, I felt the desire to share my emotions and impressions with those around me, with anecdotes and curiosities. Today, one would say that I had the signs of a storyteller.

Indeed, that is what you have done throughout your multi-decade career as a journalist, first in print with the prestigious Roman newspaper “Paese Sera,” then with your pioneering information and tourism promotion magazine “Turismo Domani,” and finally with television and your creation “Sereno Variabile,” the longest-running program in the history of television, so much so that it entered the Guinness World Records. This program had the merit of making Italians appreciate the pleasure of discovering new worlds, even those not accustomed to medium and long-distance travel. In recent times, your commitment has been directed towards rediscovering local tourism, allowing us to rediscover the beauty of our peninsula and its wonderful villages, of which you are also an Ambassador. What is your idea of tourism, its potential, and its criticalities at this point in your life?

After conducting more than 1800 hours of broadcasting, covering about 3 million kilometers in Italy and 14 million worldwide, I believe I have gained some experience in the field of leisure travel, which allows me to say today that tourism has not only changed profoundly since I started dealing with it, but that this now fundamental voice of the world economy has also contributed to profoundly changing, for better but unfortunately also for worse, the face of entire nations, transforming not only historic centers, coastlines, mountain resorts, etc., but also affecting the customs and traditions of peoples. In light of these changes, I believe it is necessary to reconsider the tourism sector as a whole, promoting short supply chains, widespread and eco-sustainable hotels, low-impact means of transportation, and in general, a greater awareness of tourists who are becoming less “by chance” and more responsible, from trip planning to visiting places of public interest, to interaction with the inhabitants of the visited countries.

Some time ago you were nicknamed the James Bond Traveler, do you identify with this definition?

Frankly, I feel more like a culture smuggler, who has used the television medium over the decades to bring the beauties and excellences of Italy and the world into Italian families, trying to share my discoveries and promote the knowledge of our territory and our past. For me, one of the greatest satisfactions, beyond the awards I have received over the years (two Guinness World Records, Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, Saint Wenceslas Eagle of the Trentino Alto Adige Region, Ambassador of the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy, etc.), was the gratitude expressed to me personally by Pope Francis for having made him discover the hidden wonders of the Vatican through one of my broadcasts.

Based on the experience you have gained in the field, what suggestions do you have for politicians and administrators to improve the tourist offer in our country in the coming decades?

Well, certainly the current situation is not easy for anyone, least of all for those called upon to make important decisions for our country. However, regardless of the heavy criticalities that characterize the current moment, I must acknowledge that much has changed for the better in Italian tourism since I started dealing with it. I still remember the dramatic situation of the 1970s when a cleverly orchestrated campaign from abroad, playing dirty, tried to divert tourists to other destinations. The difficulties were overcome thanks to the efforts of hotel and restaurant operators who tried, not always successfully, to respond to criticism with improvements in services. Something similar happened in 1989 on the Romagna Riviera, during the summer of sludges, when faced with the emergency due to pollution, local hoteliers joined forces, literally reinventing the season, emphasizing hospitality and recreational activities, unable to highlight the sea. I must say that my program made a very important contribution to that revival, which translated into a significant increase, despite the algae emergency, in visitors from all over Europe in the following years. Today, the challenges are even more demanding, always wanting to overlook the general framework in which the sector operators are forced to operate. Of course, to answer the question, I would like to be able to indicate the ideal solution to breathe new life into tourism, but I believe that at the moment no one is able to provide a comprehensive answer. What I feel like suggesting is to start from the excellences, which are not lacking, of our country, from the revaluation of its immense cultural heritage, from the education of young generations, to whom the baton of historical memory must be entrusted, to the protection of the territories, especially the inner corners of the peninsula, which have been subject to dangerous depopulation for some decades now. In this sense, my mission continues, turning into active testimony through my social profiles, my collaboration with the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy, and now with this Kronostories project, the latest jewel in my collection, which I entrust with the task of transporting the image of Italy around the world.

To conclude, where will you go on vacation this summer?

For the moment, I have not planned anything yet, I share with Sandra, my wife, and my sons, Giorgio and Gabriele, the passion for travel, and this makes us flexible in choosing the destination.

Is that why you are in such great shape?

Certainly, as Placido Domingo said: “If I stop, I rust.”