In Italian they say “as easy as drinking a glass of water”. A gesture we make millions of times in our lives, mechanically, without thinking about it. A natural and indispensable gesture. Just as our hearts beat mechanically, circulating the blood around the body. Or how we breathe, again autonomously of our consciousness. But the water in the glass is anything other than simple. This is a complicated world like our life. In fact, it is our life.
Human civilization was born along rivers.
Friuli Venezia Giulia can be defined as an oxymoron, inasmuch as it is a land of water. Flowing waters, the rivers; falling waters, the abundant rains; waters that solidify, the snowfields and glaciers; waters that penetrate the ground; waters that rise to the surface. Waters that are warmed below ground, that cool the air, salt, fresh, brackish and thermal waters. One cannot travel more than a few kilometres in this region without crossing or passing alongside a watercourse, small or large. And the history, literature, spirituality and religiosity of this region are written in this extraordinary chemical compound. Understanding this value is fundamental and protecting it is the greatest responsibility of humankind. So experiencing the water that flows freely through Friuli Venezia Giulia, discovering and understanding its intimate connection with the region’s inhabitants, its beauty, its symbolism and its mythos is the indispensable precondition for this good to remain within reach of future generations.