The Van Working Tour, the journey through Italian villages by smart working expert Samuel Lo Gioco, has landed in Sicily, promoted by Assoprovider, the association of independent providers, and Tedtrip, a sustainable tourism startup

The Van Working Tour, Samuel Lo Gioco’s journey through Italian towns and villages to raise awareness of issues such as smart working, south working and the digital divide, is coming to Sicily.

Among the main sponsors of the event is Assoprovider, an association of independent providers who are decisive in offering broadband in areas of market failure. Accompanying Lo Gioco in its Sicilian stops is Tedtrip, a startup born within Assoprovider, from an idea of Matteo Fici and Giusi Carioto, which aims to offer original and sustainable tourist experiences. They are joined by the director of the Madonie LAG, Dario Costanzo, and Francesco Nicoletti, Assessor for Territorial Growth of the Municipality of Caltanissetta, promoter of the first polycentric and widespread world park of the Mediterranean lifestyle in Central Sicily.

South working and digital divide

The tour by Samuel Lo Gioco, entrepreneur and business consultant for smart working, wants to convey a message, that it is possible to repopulate villages thanks to the tools of remote working, thus favouring certain phenomena such as brain gain and, above all, the growth of the Italian economy.

Doing so, however, requires spreading a culture and providing the right technology tools. And above all, a quality connection: and this is where the role of Assoprovider comes in, which, with its local operators, has been committed for years to overcoming the digital divide in areas considered to be market failure by the large telephone operators: “Industry and commerce have emptied villages and rural areas, centralising the economy and the labour market in large urban centres, but today, incredibly, smartworking can reverse the urbanisation that is presented to us as an inexorable trend.

The future of villages, between smart working and sustainable tourism

Samuel will thus also travel to Sicily with the aim of raising awareness about the possibility of living and working in magnificent places like Sicilian villages. These are some of his stops: Assoro (EN), Centuripe (EN), Nicosia (EN), Sutera (CL), Mussomeli (CL), Naro (AG), Marsala (TP), Sambuca di Sicilia (AG), Sciacca (AG), Santa Rita (CL), Petralia Soprana (PA), Caccamo (PA), Lascari (PA), Bompietro (PA), Valledolmo (PA), Roccapalumba (PA), Castiglione di Sicilia (CT) and Montalbano Elicona (ME).

Guiding Samuel on his journey will be Tedtrip, a startup operating in the field of experiential tourism, born within Assoprovider: “The rebirth of villages will come about through smart working and a more human-scale tourism. Sustainable tourism will really make it possible to preserve the beauty of villages and create a new economy,” Matteo Fici and Giusi Carioto, founders of Tedtrip, declared.