L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano MARIELLA RADAELLI V isiting Sarsina with- out entering the St. V i c i n i u s B a s i l i c a would be like going t o R o m e a n d n o t visiting the Vatican. It is hard not to be charmed by this village i n t h e A l t a R o m a g n a r e g i o n where ancient Rome's greatest comic playwright, Titus Maccius Plautus, was born in 255 B.C. and spent at least the first 15 years of his life. As an adolescent, Plautus moved to Rome where he ended up on stage as an actor in the F a b u l a e A t e l l a n a e ( A t e l l a n Plays), the earliest native Italian farce featuring stock masked characters. In Rome, he began to w r i t e f o r t h e t h e a t e r i n a n attempt to escape from poverty: a 2 nd century AD text suggested he had lost all his money in an unsuccessful maritime venture. Prolific Plautus wrote around 130 plays, of which 20 have sur- vived intact. Even Shakespeare drew on the Roman dramatist's p l o t s : P l a u t i n e a n d S h a k e - spearean plays that most parallel e a c h o t h e r a r e the Menaechmi and the Comedy of Errors. T h e r e i s a s e n s a t i o n o f authenticity in experiencing the roots of Italian theater in Sarsi- na, with the entire borgo a stage. The small Apennine community o f 2 , 0 0 0 i n h a b i t a n t s i n t h e province of Forlì-Cesena is a drive of just an hour and 15 min- u t e s f r o m B o l o g n a ' s airport.Today Sarsina continues to display a Roman past that is exquisitely preserved. The borgo is compact and easily negotiated on foot. All around are buildings dating back to Roman times, including "Casa Plauto," the playwright's plausible childhood home. Walking around, it is easy to imagine the young Plautus a n d h i s f e l l o w - c o u n t r y m e n walking through the streets. The top event on the town's cultural calendar is the Plautus Festival in July and August. To honor their illustrious citizen, the Sarsinati started an interna- tional festival in 1956, dedicated to the intrepid devotees of the- ater who have gathered under the open sky for stories since the dawn of history. "In pre-Roman times, Sarsina was the capital of the Umbrian people who inhabited the Savio Valley," says Giampaolo Bern- abini, manager in charge of cul- ture at the Sarsina city council. " W h e n i t w a s c o n q u e r e d b y Rome in 266 B.C., it acquired the status of civitas foederata (allied community). Influential in its social and economic struc- ture were the liberti (slaves who had been freed), often of Eastern origin, who became an entrepre- neurial class contributing to revitalizing community," he says. The National Archeological Museum in Sarsina houses the richest collection of artifacts from the territory and it is con- sidered one of the most impor- tant archeological museum in Northern Italy. For those in search of Sarsi- na's Roman DNA, the first stop i s P i a z z a P l a u t o , w h e r e t h e Roman Forum, a political and administrative center, was locat- ed. In Republican Rome, the Forum Romanum was paved and surrounded by an arcade. But what makes Sarsina spe- cial is that, along every single kilometer, you can marvel at unspoiled nature, history and the spirituality of the place. A part of the fabric of everyday life is rep- resented by the intense spirituali- t y e m a n a t i n g f r o m t h e S a n Vicinio Basilica at Piazza Plauto, a cathedral that dates back to the 10th century. It is Romanesque in design and far more austere than many others in the Emilia Romagna region. The lunette above the entrance portal has a mosaic depicting Saint Vicinius of Sarsina wearing a bishop's mitre and holding a chain. The first bishop of Sarsina, Vicinius, was a native of Liguria w h o w i t h d r e w f r o m s o c i e t y shortly before the great persecu- tions of Diocletian and Maximi- nus II. On a mountain 10 km from Sarsina he became a her- mit, embracing a life of assidu- ous prayer, solitude and penance. Vicinius was said to have the charismatic power to cast out demons. He helped heal spiritual illness by means of an iron collar weighted with a stone that he wore round his neck as penance. His relics and iron collar are kept in the cathedral. The iron collar is a catena miracolosa that con- t i n u e s b e i n g i n s t r u m e n t a l i n achieving liberation. Today, inside the cathedral, Don Fioren- zo Castorri has special permis- sion from the bishop to perform exorcisms. " A b o u t 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 p e o p l e arrived this year for the blessings at the basilica," says Giampaolo Bernabini, who serves the church as a layman. "In Sarsina we have built a culture of listening. We are still capable of offering a lis- tening ear and an understanding heart to suffering. I truly meet the suffering people who seek for spiritual counsel and cleans- ing." From the basilica you can start along the Way of St. Vini- cius, a 320 km walking route that marks his final stop at Sarsina. It is a loop that reveals the wild nature and scenic landscape of the territory. It takes you into sumptuous hills, valleys and a range of villages included the Tuscan eremo (hermitage) of C a m a l d o l i a n d L a V e r n a , a mountaintop monastery where S t . F r a n c i s i s s a i d t o h a v e received the stigmata. When back in Sarsina, don't miss out on a taste of the local s p e c i a l t i e s . " U n l i k e p i a d i n a made in Rimini, ours is the real original Romagnola and is cut in the middle," insists Giampaolo. He fills the delicious unleavened f l a t b r e a d o f R o m a g n a w i t h S q u a c q u e r o n e f r e s h c r e a m cheese, honey and chives. Plautus' world of comedic verve made him the most famous among Rome's comic playwrights. Photo: Cesare Ricci Plautus brought his flair to the stage in Rome, but was born in Sarsina. Photo: Filippo Venturi ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES Scenic Sarsina: hometown of ancient Rome's greatest comic playwright

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