L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018 T he nature of mystery i s m a n y f o l d a n d t h e r e i s c e r t a i n l y m o r e t o i t t h a n supernatural events, haunted locations and unsolved murders. Mystery, sometimes, lies also in our impossibility to interpret a habit or a specific moment in history, to under- s t a n d w h y o u r a n c e s t o r s behaved in a specific manner. Many places in Italy carry with- in mysteries of this type and it is to them we'll dedicate some more words and consideration in this series of articles. From North to South, we'll explore p l a c e s w h e r e t h e u n k n o w n turned into icon, but is also key to read and appreciate our past. Sombreno: the dragon in the church Let's ideally fly to the quaint hills of the Bergamo province, i n L o m b a r d i a . H e r e , i n t h e s m a l l h a m l e t o f S o m b r e n o , faithful have been praying since the 12th century in a church dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Picture perfect landscapes surround the place, which rises above the surround- ing area, offering a beautiful, peaceful sight to visitors. With- in the santuario, almost unpre- tentious in its architectural sim- p l i c i t y , c u r i o u s a n d f a i t h f u l alike will find more than reli- gious ornaments. Indeed here, held high above our heads by a chain hanging from the ceiling's wooden beams, rests a bone, almost 7ft long, thought to be that of a dragon. You see, mon- sters and fire breathing beasts are not a monopoly of Europe's Northern lands: apparently, we had some in Italy, too, during the Middle Ages. Once upon a time, legends s a y , t h e r e w a s a l a k e h e r e , called Gerundo; even though there is no evidence in historical sources proving its existence, it s e e m s l o c a l o r a l t r a d i t i o n always took it for granted. Well, it's in this lake that Tarantasio, an enormous, scaly beast with a pestilential breath, lived. For centuries, it terrified and killed: its favorite victims? Why, chil- dren of course. Apparently, it w as an early member of the Visconti family who killed it, proof of it the fact a dragon-like beast emblazons the family's coat of arms. The lake dried up in time, but memory of its exis- tence, and of its most notorious i n h a b i t a n t , r e m a i n s h a n g i n g from the ceiling of Sombreno's santuario. In a twist deign of Beowulf, local lore tells us about another dragon slaying in the Bergamo area, this time carried out by no less than Saint George himself. Just a handful of miles away from Sombreno, in Almenno San Salvatore, you'll find the S a n G i o r g i o i n L e m i n e ' s church, beautiful example of 1 1 t h c e n t u r y R o m a n e s q u e architecture, also known for its later ties with the Disciplinati c o n f r a t e r n i t y , w h o c o u l d b e t h e m s e l v e s p r o t a g o n i s t s o f another article for their pen- chant for self-inflicted corporal FRANCESCA BEZZONE Secret Italy: a voyage through the mysterious and the unknown of the peninsula. Part One: the North p u n i s h m e n t . H e r e , y o u c a n a d m i r e a n o t h e r l a r g e b o n e believed to belong to a slain dragon, victim this time of the much more famous sword of Saint George. A n d h e r e , t h e l e g e n d s o f Bergamo's dragons end, leaving space to some more scientific details: even though the bones in Sombreno and Almenno San Salvatore haven't been DNA tested, zoologists think they probably are old whale bones or, possibly, mammoth's. Quite fascinating anyway. Brusson: a castle and its hidden treasure If you thought you ended up in a Game of Thrones episode reading about Tarantasio and its pal roaming the hills of Berg- amo, this historical and highly scenic gem of Valle d'Aosta, in the north-western part of Italy, will only reiterate that idea. Today, the castle of Graines is in ruins, yet it remains a magi- c a l , f a b l e - l i k e p l a c e t o s e e . Probably built for the first time in the 6th century on a rocky promontory rising above the vil- lage of Brusson, the castle was known for its strategic position, which allowed its inhabitants to control the entire valley. For centuries, it was home to impor- tant local noble families, but was eventually abandoned in the 1800s, its stone walls and towers slowly crumbling under the weight of time and neglect. Yet, the castle of Graines remains as beautiful and majes- tic as it once used to be when you think about the legend sur- rounding it. Actually, it even frightens you a bit because a cursed treasure seems to be hid- den in the dark pits of its foun- dations. According to a local legend, a shepherd one night heard a voice inviting him to dig where the castle's protection walls met its tower: underneath, an enormous treasure was hid- den. There was a catch, though, because the shepherd had to l e a v e t h e c a s t l e ' s g r o u n d a t dawn, before a cockerel sang for the third time. Indeed, our hero found a trapdoor, opening on a staircase and a secret tun- n e l , w h i c h l e a d t o i m m e n s e riches. So many riches, in fact, he forgot about the cockerel and, at the echoing of its third m o r n i n g n o t e , h e r e m a i n e d trapped in the castle's belly. For ever. A t a l e o f c a u t i o n a g a i n s t greed, without a doubt, but is there really a treasure hidden at the castle of Graines? No one really knows, as archaeological excavations never revealed any- thing. Yet, it's nice to think that, maybe, the mysterious aura around the building has been useful somehow. It may be one of the reasons which attracted the interest of librettista and playwright Giuseppe Giacosa and Portuguese architect Alfre- do d'Andrade, who initiated and s u p p o r t e d v a s t c o n s e r v a t i o n works in the early 20th century and, who knows, it may have been in the minds of the people at AVER (Anciennes Vestiges en Ruine), a cultural cross-bor- der association based in both Italy and France, that restruc- tured the building and opened it up to the public in recent years. There is so much mystery to be discovered in history and, indeed, so much history can be read within the lines of the most mysterious events and places, that we cannot afford to be lazy, we have to keep digging, dis- covering, reading. May curiosi- t y b e o u r g u i d e a n d l e a d u s through the hills, mountains and lands of Italy, in search of more mysteries to be narrated. Dragons are not an anglosaxon monopoly: we had them in Italy, too LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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