L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano P ietrapertosa is a small village in t h e P o t e n z a province of Basil- icata, with 1,200 residents. It is beautifully l o c a t e d i n t h e D o l o m i t i Lucane, a mountain range that shares name and beauty with its more famous cousins, up North. Its name comes f r o m t h e i m p o n e n t r o c k y peak that welcomes everyone visiting the village: nature made a hole in it that passes it from side to side, a "pierced stone," or a pietra perciata, which turned eventually into Pietrapertosa. T h e e a r l i e s t s e t t l e m e n t here dates back to the 8th century BC, and its history follows largely that of the area in which it is located. Until the 3rd century BC, it w a s a G r e e k c o l o n y , a s demonstrated by the shape of t h e v i l l a g e : t h a t o f a n a m p h i t h e a t e r . T h e n , i t became, just like the rest of the region of Lucania, part of Rome's possessions. The cen- turies of the Barbaric Inva- sions, between the 5th and t h e 9 t h , w e r e n ' t e a s y f o r P i e t r a p e r t o s a , w h i c h w a s s a c k e d b y t h e G o t h s , t h e L o m b a r d s a n d t h e B y z a n - tines. Interestingly, a Byzan- t i n e l e a d e r o f t h e v i l l a g e rebelled against his governor and called the Saracens for help: and so, Pietrapertosa b e c a m e A r a b f o r s o m e 2 0 y e a r s , u n t i l t h e N o r m a n s arrived in 838. Through the c e n t u r i e s , P i e t r a p e r t o s a changed rulers, just like the rest of the South: from the Swabians to the Anjou, from the Aragons to a series of local lords. In the difficult y e a r s o f R i s o r g i m e n t o , P i e t r a p e r t o s a s h o w e d courage and resilience and participated in the moti car- b o n a r i t o s e e k i n d e p e n - dence from foreign rule. In the early 20th century, the history of Pietrapertosa mixed with that of the Unit- ed States, because many of its residents sought fortune across the ocean. There are many things to love, in Pietrapertosa, both in its architecture and tradi- tions and in the charming landscapes surrounding it. The urban settlement is still classically medieval in shape and structure, especially the streets and alleys of its cen- ter, which lead to the majes- tic village castle, called Ara- bat, the ancient name given to it by the Saracens. Here, homes have been built in line and harmony with the territory and with the shape o f t h e l a n d , w i t h s h e e r mountain rock becoming a house wall. One of the most tradition- al events in Pietrapertosa takes place in the late spring and it's called the Feast of May, even if it happens in J u n e . A t i t s h e a r t i s t h e marriage of trees, where parts of two different trees, a t u r k e y o a k a n d a h o l l y tree, are joined together in a s y m b o l i c m a r r i a g e . T h e e v e n t , w h i c h h a s v e r y ancient roots, takes tradi- tionally place on the 13th of J u n e ( S a i n t A n t h o n y o f Padua) and wants to honor trees as a symbol of prosper- ity. Because it is located in the Parco di Gallipoli Cog- n a t o e d e l l e D o l o m i t i Lucane, Pietrapertosa can be a perfect starting point for several trekking routes, if you are into discovering nature on foot. But perhaps, P i e t r a p e r t o s a i s m o s t famously linked to the Volo dell'Angelo, "the flight of the angel," where you can fly, securely attached to a steel cable between Pietrap- ertosa and the nearby ham- l e t o f C a s t e l m e z z a n o : a breathtaking, 1 km journey, suspended at 400 meters of altitude. If adrenaline is not your cup of tea, don't worry, you can relax and enjoy local cuisine instead: if you are in t o w n a r o u n d C a r n e v a l e , make sure you try rafanata, a type of frittata made with eggs, cheese and horserad- ish. This time of the year, chestnuts take center stage, while in December, on Santa Lucia day, you can try cuc- cia, a traditional wheat dish enriched with chickpeas and fava beans. If you like meat, then rest assured Pietraper- tosa has something for you, too: the area is well-known for the quality of its cold cuts, including cotechini. There is truly a lot for you to do and enjoy, in this corner of Basilicata, including fly- ing among the mountains. I n English, we call it I n d i a n s u m m e r , i n I t a l i a n e s t a t e d i San Martino. They b o t h r e f e r t o t h a t unusually warm period we o f t e n e x p e r i e n c e i n t h e m o n t h o f N o v e m b e r . F a r from being a safe bet, the estate di San Martino is sur- rounded by many a legend, but the most curious one is probably related to its name. Saint Martin is an important figure of Christianity, known for having abandoned the Roman army to become a miles Christi, a soldier of Christ. His hagiographies tell that he realized his true faith when he encountered, while leaving the city of Tours on his horse, a pauper without c l o t h e s , e x t r e m e l y c o l d . Without giving it a second thought, Martin took off his woolen cloak, cut it and gave the poor man a half. After the event, the sun returned in the sky that day, and there it remained, warming up the days of mid-November when the fact was believed to have taken place (Saint Martin is celebrated on the 11th of the month). That night, Martin d r e a m e d C h r i s t , w h o explained He was the beggar to whom he had donated his cloak. And that's why nature, o f t e n , d e c i d e s t o g i v e u s warmth at an unusual time: to celebrate Martin's conver- sion and his act of charity. Interestingly, science can give us a reasonable explana- t i o n f o r t h e e s t a t e d i S a n Martino, at least in Mediter- ranean countries. Weather experts say these unusually warm days may be caused by the expansion of the Spanish anti-cyclone further into the Mediterranean sea, which doesn't happen every year, but cyclically. The estate di San Martino is also celebrated in Italian literature: the famous poem b y I t a l i a n N o b e l l a u r e a t e Giosué Carducci San Mar- tino, is dedicated to this spe- cial time, and there are refer- ences to it also in Novembre, by Giovanni Pascoli. And because the estate happens traditionally in the weeks around the day of Saint Mar- tin, in mid-November, we can mention also a couple of o l d p r o v e r b s t h a t h i n t a t what you could do during these warmer days: A San Martino, tappa il barile e a s s a g g i a i l t u o v i n o ( O n Saint Martin's day, plug up t h e k e g a n d t r y y o u r o w n wine), or Oca, castagne e v i n o p e r f e s t e g g i a r e S a n Martino (goose, chestnuts and wine, to celebrate Saint Martin's day). LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Tradition of the month: the Estate di San Martino Saint Martin and the Beggar, a painting by Wilfred Thompson (1918) (Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons agreement. Bonhams/Public Domain) Pietrapertosa developed along the mountain, with stone becoming part of the houses (Photo: Simvolp/Dreamstime) Italian village of the month: Pietrapertosa

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