When the kids get bored: Italian ghost town to hold hide & seek championship in deserted streets

Yes, you read right, there is a Hide and Seek championship, there are amazing and happy things occurring in this world every day if you just know what to put your focus on.

A formerly booming town which has since been virtually abandoned in Italy is going to be playing host to a Hide and Seek Competition.

On September 3 and 4, a village in northern Italy situated in the Alps, named Consonno, will host the intriguing 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 do not despair, there are 64 teams of five adults who will be competing against each other to win the title of world champions in Hide and Seek.

While the thought of a Hide and Seek Championship with competitors from all over the world is intriguing enough in itself what is arguably even more enticing about the whole notion 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 an ill-fated attempt 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 mainstay.  The real estate developer ended up building a bizarre resort which had a lot of the standard things that tend to be included in hotels in Las Vegas, such as a grand hotel, pagoda, a zoo and a train.

Unfortunately a mere eight years later, a natural disaster, a landslide, made the one and only road that was used to get to Consonno impassable.  The lack of entry into the town made it quickly descend into obscurity and become a virtual ghost town.

Now, nearly half a century later, Consonno will be in use once again to host the world wide Hide and Seek Championship.  This is 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.

Not only is this taking place in an amazing town but it is 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!