PERCEPTION WALKING

A sensory walk in the village

A paired-up sightless walk in the village of San Lorenzo in Banale and adjacent woods, to become aware of your other senses and enter into a deeper relationship with the environment.

Exploring the village with your eyes closed means getting to know it through the scents of former times, but it is also an exercise for bringing to light memories, intuitions, and developing self-awareness. When sight is excluded, the other senses are awakened and enhanced.

The members of each pair take turns closing their eyes and allow themselves to be led by their guide, who can still see. They are not allowed to communicate by speech, making the experience entirely sensorial. Without the filter of sight a ray of sunshine on your face becomes a caress, the smell of the forest floor an intense perfume, the warmth of your walking companion's hand a reassuring contact. As a consequence the pair end up synchronizing their breathing and movements, almost like a dance.

At the end of the perception walk you stop at Il Ritorno Farm where we enjoy a herbal tea together. Each participant chooses their own tea by smell from a sequence of different infusions. This reveals how the sightless walk has enhanced your olfactive perception.