Svaneti (Georgia)

There is no other place in the world that has been able to keep alive traditions and rites dating back to the Middle Ages. There are precise reasons behind this cultural heritage: protected in the north by the Greater Caucasus chain, it was for centuries an unreachable place, nothing could be done by Mongols, Persians, Turks, even the Soviet Union on which Georgia depended had difficulties in these areas. Until 20 years ago it was unthinkable to reach Svaneti, steep roads and bandits made travel difficult for the Georgians themselves. At the turn of the century, former president Mikhail Saakashvili managed to radically improve the situation. Today Svaneti is a place that sees tourism as a way to relaunch and a solution against the abundant god of these wonderful places.