Aliano: Tourist couple lost in the Calanchi Natural Park rescued by the Carabinieri

The misadventure experienced by a couple of tourists during an independent excursion in the beautiful scenery of the Calanchi nature park, in the Aliano area, could have had a much worse epilogue.

It all begins in the afternoon, when the two, a man and a woman aged 50 and 41 respectively, left their car on the side of the road and ventured into the splendid natural area, uncontaminated and a treasure chest of uncontaminated landscapes and scenery. The walk passes quickly, between beautiful views and the enchanting atmosphere that can be felt at dusk, and the couple finds themselves, almost suddenly, enveloped by the rapidly falling dusk and the temperature that drops just as suddenly with the rain that begins to fall with ever greater insistence. One of the two phones is now dead, with the other the two adventurers manage to ask for help: they call 112 and communicate with the operator of the Pisticci Carabinieri Company Headquarters. The soldier, after reassuring them, provides some practical advice, especially useful for saving the battery of the only functioning smartphone which, suddenly, becomes the only precious point of contact with the world.

Once the position of the device has been received via GPS localization, the patrols in the circuit are immediately alerted, and the military personnel from the Stigliano and Aliano stations are sent to the scene. Carabinieri and volunteers from the Civil Protection of the small town, immortalized by the pen of Carlo Levi, thus venture into the park, towards the point indicated by the GPS location. The search, hampered by darkness and rain, lasted a few hours, with the soldiers climbing and skirting dunes and clay hills, sinking their hands and shoes into the gullies, made slippery by the water.

The fatigue and tension finally melt away when the soldiers finally find the two, cold and scared, but fortunately in good general physical condition, and escort them to the emergency vehicles and then to the car. The two tourists were thus able to return home in complete safety, and certainly with an added awareness: nature, however familiar and apparently harmless, should never be underestimated, and when you approach it, you need to plan carefully and avoid improvisation.

In episodes and interventions like these, finally, we find the true essence of the mission of the men of the Arma: to help and be close to citizens always, especially in times of difficulty.