L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano I n 1963, the Molise r e g i o n w a s f i n a l l y a b l e t o s e p a r a t e from Abruzzo. That action caused it to be the latest emancipated region of the peninsula. An ancient land, populated by brave Samnite warriors who o n c e e v e n d e f e a t e d t h e Romans, the region today is made up of two provinces, Isernia and Campobasso. V i s i t i n g t h e n e w b o r n province of Campobasso in the 70s and early 80s was like discovering the "real I t a l y , " u n e n c u m b e r e d b y cell phones, and an over- p o p u l a t i o n o f t e l e v i s i o n s and computers. Many visi- tors, who came to the multi- tude of sandy beaches found along the pristine shores of the western Adriatic, consi- s t e d p r i m a r i l y o f y o u n g G e r m a n a n d E a s t e r n Europeans who flocked in great throngs to the region d u r i n g E a s t e r b r e a k . American tourists had not yet discovered these beach- es, so similar to our glo- rious ones in Florida and California. T o d a y , t h a t i s a l l changed. The rows of blue lounges along the Molisan s h o r e l i n e b r i n g s t o m i n d cadres of soldiers eager to s o a k u p a b u n d a n t s u n - shine. And all this, at prices m u c h l o w e r t h a n t h o s e prevalent along the rock- filled western shores of Italy and France, where one must wear swim sandals to take a quick dip in the blue waters, something quite unneces- sary on the beaches in and around Termoli. And again, if one is still r e l a t i v e l y y o u n g a n d c a n endure it —perhaps during a n e a r l y s p r i n g v a c a t i o n , just like those Easter breaks we mentioned — beaches will not be overpopulated as t h e y a r e a r o u n d N i c e , b e c a u s e m a n y r e s i d e n t s here only permit themselves to take advantage of their w o n d e r f u l b e a c h e s a f t e r June 24 th , the Feast of St. John, which is also a cus- t o m i n m a n y o t h e r European countries. A n d s o , t h e r e w i l l b e more than enough places to dine without huge crowds (a b l e s s i n g i n t h e s e C o v i d days) and enjoy the many, d e l i c i o u s r e g i o n a l d i s h e s Molise has to offer. One can also stroll down the streets of Campobasso — the provincial capital — Termoli, or one of the other shore-line towns, taking in a delicious aroma of freshly baked bread and pizza, an invitation to taste more local cuisine's special- ties. And so, after a taste — of course! — of some deli- cious local wine and another s t r o l l a l o n g t h e t o w n ' s streets, you may even come across, all of a sudden, a lit- tle market or a street fair, filled with stalls selling old books, new and restored photos and anything else t h a t c o m e s t o m i n d : j u s t another way to capture the generous, hospitable spirit of this corner of Italy. T h e r e a r e a l s o s e v e r a l important cultural/religious events to witness. On 6 th of June, the feast of Corpus Christi, Campobasso fes- toons itself with the grand p a r a d e o f t h e T r e d i c i M i s t e r i , w i t h f l o a t i n g images of thirteen saints. On the 26 th of July, in the town of Ielsi, province of Campobasso, the Festa d e l G r a n o ( T h e F e a s t o f Wheat) takes place. It was introduced in 1805, when t h e t o w n w a s s p a r e d t h e tragedy of a horrible earth- quake thanks to, tradition says, the intercession of St. A n n a . O n t h i s d a y , t h e whole town fills the streets to watch Traglie, ox-driven carts covered with sheaves of wheat, used to decorate every corner of town, along with agricultural tools and machinery. It should also be men- tioned that, more recently, d u r i n g W W I I , t h e N a z i s were miraculously stopped from executing dozens upon dozens of the townspeople in front of the cathedral by a s u d d e n , f u r i o u s t e m p e s t brought upon them by, tra- dition says again, St. Anna. At the very beginning of this Wheat Holiday's events, Molise: the youngest daughter of the Nation THOMAS VESCE t h e r e i s a g r e a t d e a l o f shouting and music, that resounds through the whole town. However, in time all this brio will subside, only to be awakened again by the p e r f o r m a n c e o f s a c r e d m u s i c i n I e l s i ' s m a j e s t i c cathedral. T o d a y , i n a l l o f t h e s e s p e c t a c l e s , o n e w i l l h e a r many languages being spo- k e n : s t a n d a r d I t a l i a n , Molisan — the local dialect, a close cousin to neighbor- i n g N e a p o l i t a n — a n d maybe even some French and English. Continued to page 28 Colorful houses in Termoli, Molise. Photo: Maudarnos/Dreamstime LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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