Not a vacation, but a trip. A journey through a land where you can touch the mark left by the many cultures and peoples that have traced its history, and at the same time fill your eyes with a natural beauty that at times seems magical. A journey that broke my heart but only to fill it until it overflows, which made me proud to be able to share days with people so crazy that I think I can change things and succeed in spite of everything. An experience that I recommend to anyone with heart and soul. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Bradet is in Europe but, if you stretch your ear, he already speaks to us in the language of Asia. Its muddy streets, the low houses stretching out towards the horizon, the tree line standing out against the dark grey sky and the clouds that seem to run fast towards the East, everything has the taste of simplicity. Life is reduced to the essential: everything takes us away from the oppression of consumption of the so-called civilized world. Spontaneously, reflection arises on the meaning of life and death, and on how much Western well-being places its fragile clay legs on the discomfort and difficulties that stretch eastwards from here. An apparently hostile but uncontaminated and extraordinary nature frames this picture of contradictions. And, together, one cannot help but immerse oneself in a warm humanity that peeps out behind every wall: as soon as one scratches the surface a little, one can meet extraordinary and memorable people. Among them, a special place (if only in my heart) is occupied by all those who work for the Associazione Il Giocattolo, whose work here is titanic, difficult and immeasurably human. Thank you. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

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We have always been, my husband and me, “self made tourists”: no travel agency, no guide, no private car: only public transport or autostop or feet to move in different countries. In our travels, we mostly care about getting in touch with different people, foods, perfumes, cultures, arts, unknown situations. This holiday in Caras Severin has been our first experience of “solidarity tourism”. We had already been in Romania, fascinated by its people, culture and music. But this time has been different: being involved in a project allowed us to look at the situation from a different perspective, from inside,not from outside, as usually tourists do. It is very difficult for us to describe in a few words all the emotions we experienced in these days in Caras-Severin: beautiful landscapes,grazing horses, clean rivers and blue lakes; we traveled on an old, historical train from Oravita to Anina (two hours to make 35 km); we visited the abandoned (disused)charcoal mine in Anina. We reached Bradet on foot, walking through an amazing forest and we had the opportunity to stay in a beautiful well equipped school: a cooperation between The Giocattolo and voluntary people from Bradet made possible this dream: people taking care of their own school! For this we must thank first of all Florentina,the full of energy teacher, guide, secretary; our driver Costantin, who invented a new idiom, the”romaliano” to communicate with us; Githa, chef in his pizzeria and our guide in the abandoned mine; a special thank to Gian Luca, president of the association “Il Giocattolo”, who never left us alone during that trip, giving us good advices and suggestions: we hope to continue this adventure with him in the future as well. I’ll always take in my hearth the brave women we met: the young Romina, mother of four children, who started with her mum a “catering” activity, preparing traditional food; Angela, Costantino’s wife who, while busy in their garden, planting, digging, cooking, breastfeed two of her five children, saying ”Like a tandem!”