A camper traveling through Italian villages to promote smart working and, consequently, combat the digital divide: this is the experience of Van Working, created by Samuel Lo Gioco, founder of Smart Working Magazine and consultant for startups, to bring the philosophy of remote work to every corner of Italy.

A project that Assoprovider has embraced, merging not only with the association's classic themes but also with the new frontiers of experiential tourism.

We discussed it in the fifth episode of our podcast "Battaglie della Rete," produced with the support of Radio IT.

You can listen to the full episode here: https://assoprovider.it/7podcweb

Villages and Digital Divide: the "marriage" between Assoprovider and Van Working

Assoprovider has always been committed to reaching those areas of the country where connectivity is lacking or inadequate for technological development. This is why it could not help but find a common vision with Samuel Lo Gioco's Van Working project, to make smart working truly intelligent, bringing digitalization and the philosophy of remote work even to villages. 

“In fact, said Marcello Cama, vice president of Assoprovider, “we are and have always been the only ones truly fighting the digital divide. Therefore, Lo Gioco's journey through the villages could not be ignored. 

The idea of traveling by camper around these small towns, of which Italy is full, originates "from a set of things”, explains Lo Gioco. From reading an article, which explained how "two thousand Italian villages would soon be revitalized to become centers for remote work. But also from a strong desire, which affected all Italian citizens (and not only), after the heavy lockdown of spring 2020:

«We have all experienced this intense desire for freedom after the lockdowns. We have realized how important it is to travel, to learn, to talk to others, to appreciate what surrounds us.».

Lo Gioco decides to turn this desire into reality. As a former camper enthusiast, he leaves the office, buys a van, transforming it into a camper and simultaneously into a mobile office, to begin his tour among the Italian villages.

«Smart working – explains Lo Gioco – it can be the right tool to repopulate rural areas, transforming our economic model from one concentrated in large urban centers to a distributed one. Not only that: all the people around the world who work remotely today dream of moving to green and historic areas like those offered by our villages.».

Assoprovider has therefore shared the enthusiasm of Samuel Lo Gioco and decided to participate in the Van Working project. Also because, to attract that international community of smart workers, there is a need for connectivity that meets their needs. In this, Lo Gioco explains, ""the battle of Assoprovider is the foundation of everything".

The camper tour is also strategic for Assoprovider and its members, those proximity operators who bring connectivity even to areas where large telecom operators do not want or cannot reach. This is confirmed by Marcello Cama: «The tour allows us to connect not only with the population and businesses, but also with institutions: the mayors of small municipalities can finally realize that, often just a few kilometers away from their centers, they can find a provider that solves their connectivity issues, perhaps even paying less than they would by turning to large groups.».

Tourism and Villages: The Technology That Changes the Game

But when we talk about villages, it is inevitable to think of tourism. The Van Working project, embraced by Assoprovider, also allows for the enhancement of a new project born within the association, the TED Trip.

TED is an acronym that stands for Travel Emotion Designer, designers of travel emotions, and focuses on training in the field of experiential tourism. This is explained in detail by Matteo Fici, treasurer and founder of Assoprovider, as well as the founder of TED Trip:

«We propose a methodology based on two assets: a short but comprehensive training course to become a TED, offering all the technicalities to build this type of activity; and a bilingual platform, which contains the products of the TEDs, thus the experiential tourism activities proposed by these new professionals in the sector.».

Giusy Carioto, TED and one of the protagonists of the project, emphasizes how strong the need is today for tourists to turn trips into experiences:

«Technology, especially social media, has changed the way we communicate and experience travel. The tourist experience today begins much earlier, with the search for information, the validation of the offer, and the comparison with one's relational network, both physical and digital, in what we call experiential touchpoints.».

And it is precisely in the villages that experiential tourism can find its highest expression, because here ancient traditions are still preserved and passed down, allowing a journey to be transformed into a series of emotional experiences. TED Trip helps tour operators to "transform those ancient traditions into experiential activities, which do not originate as tourist products, but can become so, explains Carioto. He gives the example of ceramic and cooking courses, esoteric traditions linked to specific territories, the care of aromatic plants, and so on.

TED Trip, as mentioned, is also a tool to promote experiential tourism activities, leveraging an essential ingredient for the contemporary traveler: emotion.

«In experiential tourism – explains Carioto again – the modern traveler seeks emotion. How to convey it? Through storytelling, with stories and images, to move away from the best price logic and shift to a premium price approach, offering experiences that have recognized value»

As Fici further explains, TEDTrip was born and is currently developing in Sicily, but it already has national and international ambitions: 

«TED Trip embraces Van Working because, thanks to Lo Gioco's project, we can promote our platform primarily among the hundreds of Sicilian villages. But we will not stop here, because the methodology is applicable worldwide: for example, we have already created an experience in Addis Ababa with Ethiopian youth, to whom we presented TED Trip, asking them to create experiences for Ethiopia.».

Read also: [APodcast] Assoprovider's battle to liberalize Wi-Fi in the last mile