Walking in the Landscape as a Pedagogical Practice: Geographical Perspectives

Abstract

This contribution deals with the ethical and educational value of the act of walking in the landscape. Framed in the reflections on the democratization of the landscape, the experience of walking is described as an opportunity to combine the Outdoor Education with civic, social, and environmental empowerment. Starting from these premises, the paper presents an example of a didactical proposal, the results of a survey on Italian experiences of education on landscape, followed by the description of two cases of non-formal education, with the so-called “walking groups” and with visually impaired people. The practice of walking offers new possibilities of pedagogical reflection on the limits of a static observation from afar and on the original educational opportunities lying behind every “obstacle” encountered along the path.