Putting on a Show & Running a Business in Abruzzo

Let’s Blog Abruzzo Turns 13! (Or, How to Run a Bloggers’ Conference in Italy Without Losing Your Voice… or Mind)

Thirteen years ago, a slightly wild idea with a rebellious teenage spirit was born! Its proud if slightly frazzled parents? Two passionate bloggers — one, of Abruzzese heritage in the US with a grandfather who traded sheep for the American Dream, and the other (me) who had  bought a house in the region, and had a blog called ‘Life In Abruzzo’, both thought, “What could possibly go wrong?”

Spoiler: Everything. But also nothing that couldn’t be fixed with caffeine, cough sweets, good wine and a little girl-powered persistence.

The idea began when Helen Free (the godmother of unruly dreams) reached out from across the pond. She’d run creative writing workshops in Italy before and wondered if Life In Abruzzo fancied co-hosting a blogging workshop. I’d done events for MTV and Universal Music where I had worked as a content producer. I mean, how hard could this be?

Answer: Very. Especially in Abruzzo.

Let’s start with the big picture. If you’ve ever asked, “Is it easy to do business in Abruzzo?”, just imagine pitching a blogging conference in a region where the usual reaction is, “Why on earth would anyone come here?” (This is usually said from a spot with a breathtaking mountain-meets-medieval village view, by someone sipping homemade wine and snacking on the finest sheep’s cheese.)

Now, pair that local scepticism with the fact that we were two foreign women, one on semi-maternity leave, the other with a full-time job and a full-sized ocean between her and Italy. What could possibly go… oh wait.

But we were determined. I insisted our speakers should be paid – a radical thought, I know. Not just offered a “free bed and homemade breakfast”. (“Exposure” doesn’t cover travel costs and insurance, folks.) So we needed sponsors.

Enter: The Italian Email Black Hole.
Top tip: No one answers emails. At least not the first time. Or the second. Or third. You will feel like you’re trying to talk to a rock. In space.

But then magic happened.

A friend suggested talking to Emiliana Dell’Arciprete, a travel consultant, who in turn introduced us to Luana Di Loritto Coletta – a PR wizard, both our new all-round fairy godmothers.   Suddenly, we had what we now call the Girl Power ™. But even with women ready to work miracles, there was the issue and folklore of female credibility to battle.

Pro tip #1: In Italy, a man or two helps the medicine go down. Or in our case, gets you a serious meeting.

We involved two brothers from a local photography group Paesaggi d’Abruzzo to speak to the regional newspaper editor about running a photography competition. The theme? Life in Abruzzo using my late, wonderful neighbour Italia, who had asked me to start the blog as our muse. The editor not only said yes, he agreed to feature us and — gasp — promote foreign bloggers.

The tourist board eventually joined the fun. But only after we’d jumped through all the flaming hoops. In person. By hand. In Pescara. Multiple times. You can’t email invoices, obviously, not in 2012 when we began, and often not even now. You must deliver them like an ancient scroll.

Pro tip #2: In Italy, if you want money, you must make the pilgrimage. With toddler in tow, if necessary.

We even took the blogging show on the rails – the then called Transiberiana d’Italia Railway – where Emiliana gave a rousing talk encouraging local photographers and budding entrepreneurs to join in. That’s how deep we had to go: literally into the mountains to get the word out.

We did all this while juggling workshops, dodging wandering hands and dodgy inflated offers (“thank god for the internet”), and me slowly losing my voice right before giving a talk on SEO. (If you’ve never tried to teach keyword strategy while sounding like a dying crow, you haven’t lived.)

And then… people came. From Australia, Canada, the US, and across Europe. So did the locals. Even the BBC’s longest-serving foreign correspondent in Italy dropped by to give a speech – his first time in Abruzzo despite living in Rome for decades. We had Katie Parla! We had actual paid lecturers! We had Montepulciano d’Abruzzo!

And we pulled it off. Exhausted, elated, slightly dehydrated, but proud.

What We Learned (AKA How to Do Business in Abruzzo Without Losing Your Marbles):

• No one answers emails. Ever.
• You need to meet in person. Possibly more than once. Always over coffee. Possibly lunch and you will probably be expected to pay.
• Confidence is contagious… eventually. But expect a long incubation period.
• Women alone = suspicious. Sadly, still often true. Find good male allies, or be prepared for extra legwork.
• You need locals. Full stop. Outsiders spark ideas; locals get things done.
• Be ready to do everything by hand. Invoices, invites, maybe even signage.
• Don’t skimp on the Ricola. Especially if you’re the one giving the talk.

So, happy 13th to our little blogging conference with attitude.  We started you in 2012 and it took us 18 months to pull it off, but we did it!   It may have been born scrappy, but it grew into something rather wild and beautiful, just like Abruzzo itself.