L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano D eep-rooted cultural and religious ritu- als are resplendent i n G r a v i n a i n Puglia, an ancient town sitting timelessly beside one of the many karst ravines s c o r i n g t h e l a n d s c a p e o n Puglia's border with Basilicata. Alta Murgia national park, a protected plateau, is nearby. I n t h e r u r a l y e t a r t - f i l l e d town, the beauty is in the details "starting from the altars rich in marble inlays," says local histo- rian Giuseppe Schinco. The villagers live slowly and deeply entwined in their belief systems that create a very old atmosphere, even today. "The Gravinese is a 'panzi- ette cundènd,' a happy belly, s a y s S c h i n c o i n t h e l o c a l cadenced dialect.  "Our land is so fertile that we harvest abun- dance without working much. The Gravinesi are lazy yet so capable once they leave their town." There are large communities of Gravinesi in New York and Stamford, Connecticut. Schinco pegs the Gravinesi as traditionalists. "Our wed- dings are a mirror of how cou- ples have wed for centuries," he s a y s . " A l a v i s h r e c e p t i o n i s attended by an average number of 400 guests. The minimum number is 150. We really don't know how to cut the costs. To me it is a waste." T h e G r a v i n e s i o b s e r v e ancient traditions tied to the fear of incurring bad luck. In case of a funeral, they keep a pitcher of w a t e r o u t s i d e t h e h o u s e f o r mourners to wash their hands. "After making a condolence visit, they stop in a café to buy something, even a small choco- late because they must 'a d'al- lassé u muerte,' or leave the deceased person behind, before walking through the main door of their house." On May 8, the locals cele- brate the archangel St Michael, whose cult was introduced by the Lombards that conquered Gravina. Women display their colorful shawls and wedding d r e s s e s t o b e s u r e t h a t S t Michael protects their marriage from evil. Yet this conservative town only 18 miles from Matera is on the brink of change. The place i s t r a n s f o r m i n g t h a n k s t o a Gravinese woman, electronic engineer Mariarita Costanza, the founder of Macnil Zucchetti Group. The information tech- nology company is combining innovation with a homegrown startup scene through a new h e a d q u a r t e r s t h a t a i m s t o become the nexus of the nascent startup community. T h e I t a l i a n p r e s s t a l k s i n terms of a "Murgia Valley," an innovation ecosystem building up around Macnil whose goal is i n f u s i n g t h e e c o n o m y w i t h innovation, and especially, cre- ating jobs. "No comment," says Schin- co. "I reserve my opinion on that until I see some concrete results with my own eyes. What I know now is the reality: Our y o u n g p e o p l e a l l m o v e d t o northern Italy or abroad." "I wish our kids could create value here. But a job is a sine qua non for staying here and unfortunately they don't have one." Technology itself cannot take the place of the living human experience. The story of a young Gravi- nese named Mario Pace will inspire you to never give up. A talented matte painter, Pace left his hometown 10 years ago at age 19 for California to follow his American dream. H e w a s s o f a s c i n a t e d b y American movies that his pas- sion brought him to study that field in San Francisco." Mario was on the VFX team that won an Oscar in 2017. "I just happened to work on Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book that ended up winning an Oscar for best visual effects. My job was helping create the animated end- credits of the film, which was a team effort." Mario is extremely happy to h a v e h a d t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o work on big budget Hollywood features. To him Gravina is "a small and simple town full of life." But he had to leave and "it was heartbreaking," he says. "I knew that leaving the nest was the only way I could learn to fly." His journey from Italy to the US was "extremely difficult due to a number of barriers (cultural, linguistic and more) in an envi- ronment of extreme competition among so many other talented artists." "Yet I ended up seeing them not as barriers, but as steps on a ladder that allowed me to com- pete with the very best, through constant learning and adapta- tion." He has just finished working on the poster for Spiderman: Far from Home" (2019). "And you can expect more exciting pro- jects in the near future, so stay tuned!" Mario misses his family and t h e b e a u t y o f G r a v i n a – t h e Roman bridge, the park and the extraordinarily preserved rupes- trian church of San Vito Vec- chio. "But even beauty can be hollow without the right soul," he says. On the other hand, technolo- gy alone is not enough to make our heart sing. "In Los Angeles tech has reached new heights, but that doesn't necessarily fill that little void of platonic beauty t h a t G r a v i n a a n d I t a l y a s a whole so easily provide." He s a y s . " I l o v e m y j o b , b u t a n American suburban environment can't replace the real thing for me." He recommends that young Gravinesi leave and travel as much as possible while they're still young. "This applies to any y o u t h f r o m a n y w h e r e i n t h e world. There's always time to grow by feeding yourself with knowledge, as long as you don't forget to bring at least some crumbs and seeds back home." And he will, one day.  Gravina in Puglia, a nexus of antiquity, superstition and hopeful innovation MARIELLA RADAELLI Gravina in Puglia is rich in history, both above and underground @DOMENICO ROSA Gravina in Puglia is a rural community near the Alta Murgia National Park @Federico Garofalo ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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