Alice Baron
Discovering Santa Margherita del Gruagno
16Nov2021
The other two companions in my adventures are Lavanda (Lavender) and Mary, respectively three and six years old. Mother and daughter, probably of the Martina Franca breed, they have found a home in a beautiful agritourism farm located on the heights around Fogliano Redipuglia, which opens its doors on Sundays to those who want to spend some time in a rural setting and in contact with the many animals that graze freely there.
With Lavanda and Mary, last year I started offering donkey educational workshops that enabled me to share with families and children all the wonders I have read, learned, studied and learned personally about these extraordinary and so underestimated animals. Thus helping to free them from the false stereotypes that exist about them, for in sharp contrast to these stereotypes, donkeys are intelligent, reflective creatures able to surprise us with their friendly nature and curiosity.
Trekking with a donkey, in its most classic meaning, involves walking over a certain distance with the help of donkeys to carry backpacks and supplies, so as to make the walk itself easier and more pleasant for the hikers, while also offering the possibility of hopping into a saddle. On the other hand, coupled with a walk at donkey’s pace, donkey educational activities emphasise the emotional and relational aspect that this activity assures those who practise it and which in my opinion is the true essence of an asinine experience.
In these experiences, the donkey is the master and companion of our travels, accompanying us in our explorations, without necessarily having to be ridden or laden with packs. It is an ideal companion for those who want to enjoy the landscape slowly and in silence: it is calm in its progress, enabling us to focus on the scents, sounds and details of the environment.
At the same time it is a very cautious animal, so that even a small obstacle, such as the presence of water, a ditch or a manhole, can intimidate and block it. It is in these moments that you have to enter into empathy with it, reassuring it and making it feel that it can trust you. When it lets itself be led, you know you have succeeded and this is a source of great satisfaction. Walking at its side therefore requires the establishment of a relationship of trust; it is a matter of give and take, and it is this that makes each activity a genuine relational experience.
A walk with a donkey or a donkey educational workshop is an out-of-the-ordinary experience for the whole family: for adults, it is an invitation to slow down, to listen and observe. For children, it is an opportunity to meet a sweet and affectionate friend and teacher who will teach them to be patient, to collaborate and be in company with simplicity, stimulating a spirit of observation and curiosity.
The walks with Noè and donkey educational activities with Mary and Lavanda have shown me how much interest and curiosity the sight of these gentle animals arouse. They attract the looks of passers-by, cyclists and motorists, who never fail to smile and stop to pet and photograph them, and to learn something of their story.
It is rare to see them and even more so if they are walking through a village or along a country path. What strikes me most during the workshops is that children today, fortunately, do not associate donkeys with ignorance and stupidity, as traditional lore would have it. Instead, they identify them as an intelligent animal, although they do tend to consider them inferior to their cousin, the horse. This usually gives me the starting point to embark on the truths, falsehoods and history of these animals, before starting to interact with Mary and Lavanda.
An experience with donkeys makes children and adults more apt to respect and love animal life, as well as promoting socialisation. With their careful and meditated way of walking, donkeys help us to observe the landscape we are moving through with new and curious eyes. Their pace will be ours, their curiosity will become ours, as well as their attention to sounds, noises and smells. Then we can rediscover how pleasant it is to feel in harmony with nature, in a era that is constantly at top speed and that causes us to forget that sometimes it is good to slow down physically and mentally.
There are really so many things I've learned in getting to know them: things that I used to take for granted or considered unimportant, have now gained value.
Step by step, hoof after hoof, walking at a slow pace, following the calm and meditated pace of my Noè, I have learned to be more reflexive and prudent, and I have understood that slowness is a virtue that we underestimate too often. Like the donkeys, we too should accustom ourselves to taking time to know, understand and reflect before doing. His behaviour intrigues me more every day and often makes me smile.
It is enjoyable to observe his attentive gaze, his sensitivity, prudence and the care he takes in selecting the type of grass to graze on and savour with half-closed eyes. Continuous short stops to sniff and graze also give me the time to “ruminate” thoughts and memories.
If you are curious about taking a dive into the world of donkeys, there are plenty of opportunities in Friuli Venezia Giulia to do so. There are various organisations offering treks with donkeys and donkey educational activities: from the plains of Friuli to the Cormor valley, from the Karst of the Isonzo and Trieste to the territory around Pordenone and in the Friulian Dolomites.
My advice is to take advantage of these offers because, believe me, there is far more to donkeys than we might believe!
If sometime in the future you are strolling along the cycle and pedestrian trails in the Piana del Preva, look around: you may well see me walking with my Noè and, if you want to share part of our road with us, you will be most welcome.
Find out about the ideas and offers for this experience in Friuli Venezia Giulia
Alice Baron
Marina Del Colle
Francesco Nguyen
Michele Angelicchio
