Those who walk the Via Francigena, or any pilgrimage route, do so not only to travel and witness the beauty of a region up close but to experience encounters that make them feel they haven’t merely passed through a place, but have truly lived there, even if just for a few days, as though they were born there. Along the Via Francigena in the South, this place is Enopolio Daunio – a spot that feels like home.
It was established a few years ago by Fabiola Ventricelli and her brother. After studying in far-off places for many years, she decided to return and, in 2017, participated in the PIN – Pugliesi Innovativi grant from the Region of Puglia to breathe new life into a family home in San Severo, in the province of Foggia. This area is part of the Micaelic branch of the Francigena, marking the final stages of the Micaelic Way, a route that is spiritually akin to Sigeric’s journey, stretching from Rome to Monte Sant’Angelo. Shortly after crossing the border into Campania, at Troia, walkers can choose to continue southward along the Via Traiana, which leads to Bari and Brindisi, or veer eastward in a path that arcs northward on the map, reaching Monte Sant’Angelo via Lucera, San Severo, Stignano, and San Giovanni Rotondo. Those wishing to stay on the Francigena need only turn south again, arriving at Manfredonia and, from there, on to Bari.
On the Trail, people from all around the world and of all kinds
“Initially“, Fabiola tells us, “the start-up was intended to be above all a space for cultural promotion events linked to the territory and food and wine of Daunia. That’s why, drawing on a concept from the 1950s, we chose the name Enopolio Daunio“. However, Covid forced a partial change of direction: “We had to stop holding events and focus more on hospitality, which was already one of our aims, to the point that we registered at VisitFrancigene as early as September 2019”. The hostel opened in June 2020 and was immediately a hit. “Everyone”, Fabiola recalls, “was eager to walk, to reclaim their freedom, and to have a different kind of experience”.
For her, her father Francesco (president of the Cultural Committe ODV Vie Francigene San Severo), and her brother Giorgio, this family-run venture has also been an experience that constantly brings them into contact with the unexpected. “In these past few years, we’ve welcomed people from all around the world and of all kinds. Experienced walkers have come, as well as people doing it for the first time, some without even the right equipment”. Others arrive with big ambitions, like the American pilgrim who, setting out from Canterbury with his dog, recently reached Monte Sant’Angelo and then continued on towards Brindisi to embark for Turkey. One of Fabiola’s dreams is to do the same one day: to put her backpack on her back and set off on a long journey. But for now, she’s focused on her project.
Hospitality in the spirit of tradition but also a space for co-working
Enopolio Daunio is an old two-storey house in the historic centre. On the first floor is the wine shop, which accommodates up to 30 people, dedicated to events and dinners, and a room dedicated to co-working, with 8 workstations. “It is still difficult to promote this possibility in San Severo, but from those who come from afar there is great interest, we receive requests from people who also live outside Italy and are used to working in shared spaces: with this space, we have an extra asset“. The extra services, the availability, Mama Katia’s cooking induce people to return. “The first walker who arrived in the summer of 2020 – Fabiola recalls – was a digital nomad. He came back on purpose, on the return journey, to stay with us again for a few days“.
The upper floor is also set up not to intensively exploit the space to make beds (in all, there are 4-6 of them) but to give the possibility to cultivate activities, passions, well-being. There is a tea room, a soundproof room that is used as a photo studio and for podcast production, multipurpose. For now. Walkers can choose to stay overnight only or to enjoy Katia’s traditional recipes for dinner, with a minimum of prior notice. This too is an opportunity to introduce pilgrims to all the good things Daunia has to offer. “All the recipes are linked to the peasant tradition, they refer to a poor tradition, where only local products were used and nothing was thrown away. Soups are very popular, especially chickpea soups, and we prefer to offer these dishes to walkers because they are light and nutritious, they give the right energy and are from here“.
The project of projects, or rather: the projects of others
There would be so much more to tell about this place where plastic cups are banned and where, as soon as you arrive, they offer you coffee because Grandma Maria used to do this every time a guest arrived during the big family gatherings in summer. But the Enopolio Daunio is not only a place to stop but also a place that helps realise projects.
One of these is ‘Un viaggio da sclero’ (literally, ‘A Sclerotic Journey’). It was conceived and experienced by Michele Agostinetto, who in 2022 decided to join his places of origin by walking to celebrate life and make people aware of his illness, multiple sclerosis, which he had been diagnosed with two years earlier. In four months he walked 2000 kilometres, with many patronages (including that of the European Parliament and the EAVF) and many supports, including that of Enopolio: when Michele arrived in San Severo, he found a seminar ‘Communicating Multiple Sclerosis through a Walk’, where he had the opportunity to talk about his disease with some experts. Then he and Fabiola walked a few stages together. Then he continued. “It was July, it was hot, but he made it. He arrived in Santa Maria di Leuca“.
Another project is supported thanks to the co-working space, which makes it possible to host Davide Fiz, creator and protagonist of Smart working coast to coast: paths that cross – paths that unite. Davide is a digital nomad who for some years now has been living by walking half a day, with his computer in his backpack, and working the other half, thanks to spots that give him the opportunity to have a space equipped. “I have organised a few stages to support his project because it helps people to get to know realities like ours and to understand that some spaces, on the Via, provide the possibility of combining walking and working“.
Other, interesting, works are in progress. “When we realise that we are faced with good people and projects that are useful from a social point of view, we get involved and try to work together. Both my brother and I are involved in researching third-sector tenders, we are trainers, so we combine passions“.
Future projects
But at Enopolio Daunio they also cultivate their own projects, and not insignificantly so. As a hostel operator and in charge of the Infopoint Via Francigena MSA02 San Severo, Fabiola often comes across a common misconception: “Many people think they find themselves in situations similar to Santiago, but here the accommodation still needs to grow, especially the cheaper accommodation. The Region has invested a lot in the walking trails, hostels are springing up, but there are still not enough in our province. Hospitality is a decisive factor” she observes. “Structures like ours (where an overnight stay costs 25 euro) are few, the alternative are B&Bs, but in the high season they can cost as much as 70 euro: these are not figures for walkers.
The walker is simple and environmentally aware, he prefers to use the train, at the San Severo station, where the Intercity arrives, or the Flixbus, and he looks for accommodation at affordable prices. This is why the idea is to arrive at 10 beds“. But it is essential that a reception network be developed to accommodate groups.
In other words, if there is a problem with reception around here, it is a problem with quantity, because there is no lack of relationship skills. “Even with the info point you create with people who are totally strangers that level of trust that induces you to open up even about very personal things. Many call me for information and end up telling me why they came to the decision to embark on a path. I have heard many stories. The common thread is to find oneself“. No one is forgotten, because no one before setting off can escape the ritual of the photo in front of the Daunio wine cellar and a thought in the pilgrim’s diary.
“The dedications left by everyone over these four years say the same thing: that they felt at home“.
