Hide & Seek Championships held in Italian ghost town
Yes, you read right, there is a Hide and Seek championship!
A formerly booming town which has since been virtually abandoned in Italy is going to be playing host to this Hide and Seek Competition.
The Competition
On September 8 - 10th of 2017, a village in northern Italy situated in the Alps, named Consonno, hosted this wacky competition. Now I bet that you are thinking that Hide and Seek is something that was left behind on the playground for recess in elementary school, but actually, there were 64 teams of five adults who competed against each other to win the title of world champions in Hide and Seek.
The 'Land of Toys'
While the thought of a Hide and Seek Championship with competitors from all over the world is already pretty crazy, what is arguably even more interesting is where the event is located. Consonno was once referred to as the “Land of Toys” in Milan.
In 1968 an Italian real estate developer began a project to try to turn Consonno into a town styled after Las Vegas. In the process, he ended up essentially destroying the ancient town, which has always been a more quaint, and rural spot. The real estate developer ended up building a bizarre resort which had a lot of the wild things you'd see in hotels in Las Vegas, such as a grand hotel, pagoda, a zoo and a train.
Unfortunately a mere eight years later, a landslide made the only road that was used to get to Consonno undriveable. Without any way to get to the town, it quickly became a ghost town.
Coming Back to Consonno
Now, nearly half a century later, Consonno was used again to host the world wide Hide and Seek Championship. This was the sixth annual Hide and Seek Championship but the first time that it has been held in such a magical venue.
There are few things that could be more magical than playing Hide and Seek with people from all over the world in a town that has a sense of enchantment due to its rich history and later demise.
A Global Competition
Not only was this taking place in an amazing town but it was also played by people from all over the world with ages ranging from 18 to 60. In this day and age where so many things seem to be so dark and depressing it is great to see an international spirit embracing childlike fun and innocence.
It is also great to see that people from all walks of life, from so many different places all over the world and from so many varying age groups can come together to reclaim what it is to have fun and be a kid again!
We live in a beautiful world, get out there and enjoy it.
Outdoor Revival – Reconnecting us all with the Outdoors