L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano But, perhaps, most inter- e s t i n g i s t o h e a r a n o t h e r language, Slavomolisano, also known as Molise Slavic or Molise Croatian, a lan- guage brought to Italy by Croatian emigrés who began arriving in the province in the early 16 th century. In t i m e , t h e y p o p u l a t e d t h e three villages of San Felice, Montemitro and Acquaviva Collecroce: located in some of the highest mountains of Molise, a visit to these vil- lages highlights the gener- o u s h o s p i t a l i t y t h a t i s s o characteristic of the entire region. And while a tour of these three towns can be instructi- v e w h e n i t c o m e s t o t h e customs of Alto Molise, no trip to this region would be complete without a visit to A g n o n e , a s m a l l v i l l a g e s o m e 1 9 m i l e s n o r t h o f Campobasso. The town's history is important, for it is h e r e t h a t t h e M a r i n e l l i Foundry, founded over a thousand years ago, is. The foundry has supplied bells for a great many Catholic cathedrals around Italy and important historical docu- m e n t s : o n e s i g n e d a n d s e a l e d b y R o b e r t G u i s c a r d , t h e N o r m a n lord, who in medieval times dominated the entire south of the peninsula, and even Sicily. But there is also another important document that was promulgated by Queen Giovanna of Naples, once s u p p o r t e r o f C a r d i n a l R o b e r t o f G e n e v a , w h o w o u l d l a t e r b e k n o w n a s Pope Clement VII. He was the world for centuries and i t c o n t i n u e s t o b e h i g h l y productive. In 1995, Pope J o h n P a u l I I c o m m i s - s i o n e d t o t h e m b e l l s f o r Saint Peter's. Even the library there is worth a visit, for it houses one of the three pretenders to the Papal throne during a schism in the Church that only ended in 1440, when Cardinal Colonna ascended the throne of St. Peter. But more to the point here, in t h i s d o c u m e n t Q u e e n Giovanna, who easily dis- pensed many large parcels of land among her nobility t o e n s u r e t h e i r l o y a l t y , d e c l a r e d t h e r e g i o n o f M o l i s e a r o u n d C a m p o b a s s o a r o y a l county. A l l i n a l l , M o l i s e i s a region of many treasures, some of which may still be unknown, hidden away in a library (like the two docu- ments described above) or i n s m a l l a n c i e n t c h a p e l s along the coast, or on top of a mountain. Once upon a t i m e , t h e i r p r i e s t s w o u l d sound the alarm to all sur- rounding towns when ships a p p e a r e d a t t h e h o r i z o n . The rhythm of the clanging b e l l s s i g n a l e d w h e t h e r i t was Saracen pirates or well- i n t e n t i o n e d m e r c h a n t s approaching. In any case, all the molisani had to run down to the beaches, either with their swords to chal- lenge the boatmen, or with their baskets to enter into profitable barter of goods. Today, many riches can be garnered from spending a week or more in Molise, a region that offers any and all newcomers a wealth of cultural insights and plenti- f u l o c c a s i o n s f o r d i v e r t i - mento. Campomarino, in the Campobasso province in Molise. Photo: Massimo Santi/Dreamstime Continued from page 26 LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Fishing in Termoli, Molise. Photo: Claudio Giovanni Colombo

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