L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 L'Italo-Americano N o t f a r f r o m Reggio Cala- bria, deep into the beautiful Aspromonte National Park and at the heart of the Griko-speaking area of the region (Griko is a dialect, vestige of the old presence of the Greeks here), curious travelers will find one of the country's most famous ghost towns, Pente- dattilo. From North to South, the g h o s t t o w n s o f I t a l y a r e m a n y , r e s u l t o f a m i x between economic necessi- ties and territorial dangers: B u s s a n a V e c c h i a , i n L i g u r i a , a n d A p i c e Vecchia, in Campania, were a b a n d o n e d b e c a u s e o f a e a r t h q u a k e ; C r a c o , i n Basilicata, because of a land- s l i d e a n d S a v o g n o , i n Lombardia, fell victim to its people's necessity to find work in nearby cities and towns. A n d t h e n , t h e r e i s Pentedattilo. Just another name in this long list of pla- ces forgotten, or so it seems, by people, time and history. But is it really like that? In fact Pentedattilo, just like many of Italy's ghost towns, may no longer be home to many, but has been enjoying a r e v i v a l i n t h e p a s t f e w decades. Let's see how and why. P e n t e d a t t i l o i s a s m a l l hamlet in the municipality of Melito Porto Salvo, built entirely on a cliff of Monte Calvario, some 250 meters a b o v e s e a l e v e l . M o n t e Calvario has a very peculiar s h a p e , o n e t h a t g a v e Pentedattilo its name: its peaks look like five fingers extended into the sky, thus the original Greek name of the settlement, pènta-dakty- los, which means just that, "five fingers." In its heyday, it even had a castle, of which, t o d a y , o n l y s o m e r u i n s remain; all around it, the old v i l l a g e d e v e l o p e d , i n t h e form and shape it still has. A s i t s n a m e t e l l s u s , Pentedattilo was first occu- pied by the Greeks in 640 BC: it was a lively and pro- sperous center and had also an important military role, that was kept throughout the Greco-Roman period. After the decline of the Western Roman Empire, the area was ruled by the Byzantines and a long time of decadence, marked by poverty and fre- quent Saracen incursions, began. In the 12th century, Pentedattilo was conquered by the Normans and passed in the hands of a number of noble families: it was, howe- ver, two families in particu- l a r t h a t a s s o c i a t e d t h e i r name to that of the village, the Alberti family and the Abenavoli family. They are at the heart of a sorrow- f u l a n d t r a g i c e v e n t , t h e Massacre of the Alberti, which took place in 1686 and that was to shape the history of the village. The Alberti, marquises of Pentedattilo, had succeeded a s r u l e r s i n t o w n t o t h e Abenavoli, and the relation- ship between the two fami- lies had never been good. Things did seem to get better though, when Bernardino Abenavoli asked to marry Antonietta, daughter of the M a r q u i s . T h a t w a s n ' t a n u n c o m m o n m o v e : w e a l l know that, in the past, many f a m i l y f e u d s w e r e s o r t e d through combined marria- g e s . I n a t y p i c a l t w i s t , Antonietta's brother —una- ble to mind his business and let dad run the show — deci- ded to give his sister's hand to Don Petrillo Cortez, son of Naples' Viceroy. As you may imagine, Bernardino wasn't impressed and so, on the night of the 16th of April 1 6 8 6 , h e b r o k e i n t o t h e Alberti castle in Pentedattilo and killed everyone, inclu- ding young Simone Alberti, a g e d 9 . H e s a v e d o n l y A n t o n i e t t a a n d P e t r i l l o Cortez, to ensure the Viceroy was not going to retaliate. But Cortez, as any good mili- tary man and ruler of those times would do, opted for the sword and sent his army to Pentedattilo. Some of the conspirators were captured and killed, but Bernardino m a n a g e d t o e s c a p e w i t h Antonietta, whom he first married and, then, abando- ned in a convent. Legends say that Bernardino, even- t u a l l y , e n l i s t e d i n t h e Austrian army and died in battle. While the massacre of the Alberti family is historically r e a l , a l a r g e n u m b e r o f legends flourished around it. For instance, it is said that the five, finger-like peaks of Monte Calvario will one day fall upon the village to puni- s h i t s p e o p l e f o r Bernardino's blood thirst; another says that the peaks symbolize the bloody hand of Bernardino Abenavoli him- self, and that's why locals call the mountain the "Hand of the Devil." As it happens in any self- respecting ghost story, some swear they can hear the cries of the Albertis still echoing at night, when it's very windy, among the five rocky fingers of the Hand of the Devil. P e n t e d a t t i l o ' s h i s t o r y s e e m s t o e e r i l y h i n t t h a t A b e n a v o l i d i d , i n f a c t , attract evil and negativity on the village because, less than 100 years later, it was seve- r e l y d a m a g e d b y a e a r t h - quake: the beginning of the e n d . I t s p e o p l e f e l t Pentedattilo was no longer safe and sought protection — and better jobs — in nearby Melito Porto Salvo. Because of it, in 1811 Pentedattilo lost its municipality status and became a hamlet of the lar- ger village. Pentedattilo remained at high seismic risk, and floo- d e d o f t e n : t h i s i s w h y i n 1968, almost three centuries after the massacre that brou- ght gloom and misfortune u p o n i t , i t w a s d e c l a r e d uninhabitable and finally abandoned in 1971. Life started smiling again o n P e n t e d a t t i l o i n t h e 1980s, when several asso- ciations with members from all over the world decided to redevelop it. And so, local craftsmen and artists retur- ned to its abandoned stone homes, fixed them up and opened ateliers and shops. Local heritage and produce museums have also opened s i n c e , i n c l u d i n g t h e M u s e u m o f P o p u l a r Traditions, and the Casa del Bergamotto, dedicated to the ancient cultivation of bergamot in the area. There is more: every sum- mer, Pentedattilo also hosts two important art festivals, the Paleariza, an itinerant event aimed at keeping alive the heritage of the Greek dialect spoken in the area, and the Pentedattilo Film F e s t i v a l , d e d i c a t e d t o e m e r g i n g s h o r t m o v i e s ' directors. W h i l e l i v i n g i n Pentedattilo is no longer an option, its history and heri- tage are kept alive and can still be enjoyed, day after day, by all visitors who'd like to know more about them. A view of Pentedattilo (Photo: Gunold/Dreamstime) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Mountains, five peaks and the abandoned village of Pentedattilo FRANCESCA BEZZONE

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