Abstract

Travel in leisure and for the sake of peaceful contemplation is more the exception than the rule in the age of busy, bustling mass tourism with its all-inclusive deals to ever further destinations. The same is true for a meditative walking tour and leisurely stroll – without a fitness meter which counts our steps, measures calorie consumption, and drives us to ever more intensive performance. The concept of a contemplative leisure can provide the impetus for a new reflection on individual travel and walking as a way to self-discovery. Ancient thoughts of leisure and contemplation regain their relevance in this context, and it is against this background that I would like to revisit Francesco Petrarch’s (1304–1374) famous description of his ascent to Mont Ventoux.