MY STORY

Elisabetta Frega

THIS IS THE STORY OF HOW I STARTED TRAVELLING THE WORLD

The experience that changed my life and the way I see the world, was the one I lived in Syria, when I was almost 20 years old. I spent several months there to study Arabic language and I literally fell in love with that country.It was back then that I realized that "traveling" would have always had a special place in my life. I decided that I would have tried my best to support my thirst of knowledge and my will of discovering new places, knowing different cultures and living unforgettable experiences. That's when my adventure began.

I went parasailing in Lebanon and I crossed the "Siq" in Petra (Jordan) to reach the famous spot where Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade was filmed.

I saw the sea almost freeze in Denmark and I experienced the polar nights during which I saw the northern lights in Lapland. I woke up before dawn to reach Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt and I spent a month in The Carbbean. I climbed to the top of an old Mayan pyramid in the Mexican jungle and I travelled across Morocco backpacking by train. I slept in a tend under the thousands stars of the "arabian nights" in the middle of Sahara Desert in Tunisia.

I had a night swim in Loch Ness Lake in Scotland and I reached the Orkney Islands while searching for prehistorical sites. I got my hair messed up by the wind in the Canary Islands and I swam with wild sea turtles while I was snorkeling in Idonesia. I saw the elephants in Sri Lanka and I witnessed the cremation ceremonies at Varanasi, in India.

I left a piece of my heart in Southeast Asia where I tried fried insects for the first time in my life. I saw one of the most beautiful sunrise while seated on a rock among the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I reached the old city of Ayutthaya riding a bike in Thailand and I cruised along Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. I also visited Laos, a country of an incredible beauty, where I dove into the clear water of the most stunning waterfalls of Southeast Asia.

When I turned 30 I decided to give myself a special gift: a travel to Chile. I was very luky (and I still feel grateful for that) because I saw the phenomena of the "Desierto Florido": thousands of flowers were blooming in the middle of the desert in Atacama region. I moved south then, to reach Chilean Patagonia and I saw the icebergs for the first time. After that, I was able to make my biggest dream come true: I finally visited Easter Island!

THE VALUE OF TRAVEL

" I'm firmly convinced that traveling makes us better people "

I love traveling by my self, organizing my own itinerary without too many luggage. A good paper guide and a camera is all I need. I love filling my backpack with good memories and extraordinary experiences. I find it very important to be always respectful of places, and people I meet. I want to know the history and the true identity of a place I visit and for this reason I'm always trying to "go local", trying traditional food, meeting local people and spending time with them to know better their culture and traditions and, when possible, go off the beaten roads.

FOREVER IN MY HEART

Syria

FIVE MONTHS IN SYRIA: UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES

When I was studing Arabic at the University of Genoa I saw a flyer promoting the possibility of spending one moths abroad in an Arabic speaking country,

So I decided to take this opportunity and, when I was 20, I left Italy and I flew to Syria where I spent one month living with a muslim family in Damascus. While attending the Arabic language courses at the Higher Language Institute there, I took the opportunity to travel acorss the country as well.

After completing the course, I went back to Italy where I finished my studies at University. That experience in Syria though, left a deep mark inside me, so deep that I couldn't help but thinking about going back.

So after a few months I decided to go back to Syria, where I lived for about 5 months. During that time I enrolled in other language courses to improve my knowledge of Arabic language. At the same time, having more time at my disposal, I explored the country in deep and I travelled also to Lebanon and Jordan.

Unfortunately I was there right when the conflict that hit Syria so bad started.

MY FIRST BOOK

La luna sorride a Damasco

The experience I lived in Syria chenged me a lot. At the same time, I was aware of the fact that I was keeping something special: the memory of an extraordinary country, rich in history and art, and full of wonderful people. I was also conscious of the fact that I have had a big privilege in my life: I've been one of the last people in the world to see places that no longer exist now.

For this reason I decided to wirte a book a bout it: "La luna sorride a Damasco. Un viaggio nella Siria che era" is my testimony of this country right before the war. My first book was published by Alpine Studio in 2021.

"La luna Sorride a Damasco, un viaggio nella Siria che era" has been selected among the most intereting travel books of 2021/2022, so I've had the honor of presenting it at TTG - Rimini, the most important Travel Fair in Italy, in 2022.

MY LIGURIA

Professional Hiking Guide

FROM WORLD TRAVELLER TO PROFESSIONAL HIKER

After visiting more than 40 countries and blogging about them, I decided to use the knowledge I acquired in years of content creating and online communication, to promote my territory.

This decision of diversification has been so appreciated by my community that I became a reference point to those who want to spend their holidays in Liguria.

My community not only loved the contents I was posting on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook and here, on my website, but they also started asking me about the possibility of being guided by me during their hikes!

For this reason I decided to study to get an offical certificate and become a Professional Hikign Guide.

This is something very important to me, like a real milestone: I finally have the chance to share all the knowledge I have and the love I feel about my beloved country "offline".

If we were meant to stay in one place, we would have roots instead of feet

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