Lupara, time stands still

Time stands still in Lupara

Crowning the thousand-year-old castle ruins are clocks, which tick on. still today. It seems the passage of time which has marched slowly by in this bright and friendly little village.

In 1911 there was a population of over two thousand people, now there are less than five hundred.Like all the hilltop villages in Molise, Lupara too is now sadly in decline, in common with the rest of the region was the lack of work people began to leave to s seek a better life in America, Australia, Canada and South America.

The streets so often empty I have explored them it has given me a real chance to connect with the history which seems to be hidden in the stones themselves.

 

Some houses in the village are extremely elegant, and others a little simpler, many now are empty.
Sadly like so many other places in the region.

There are views from the edge of the village over  the tumbling fields and onwards to the Adriatic sea


Lupara's pride is quite rightly is the castle which has stood with pride surveying the lands which sweep away below it to the river valley.

In common with all the castles in the region, Lupara's inhabitants toiled in the fields and fought for their Lord under the  Feudal system,. 

They battled with Flippo di Bello, the King of France, in 1270, so the village's inhabitants too in long and distant path saw many die under the sword, and in world wars too of course.

 I strode through archways, and along cobbled streets, with flowers still blooming on balconies and balustrades.

                             

Lupara in Molise, there is so much hiding in the heart of this small village.
I look forward to finding out more about the village and it is just on my doorstep will have to go along another day....
Thank you, I was delighted to make your acquaintance

Ancient ways and new days

Blowing in the Wind.....

                               TRATTURO

This sign sits just below my house on the road from Lucito to Castelbottaccio in the Italian region of MOLISE.

The map shows the track, or TRATTURO which runs right past my little farm.

Now it is rarely used, although a few people walk along it, and I mean a FEW... I have only seen about ten people meander past in a year.

Local farmers with land on the fields above me trundle along with tractors, but apart from that, it is deserted.

 TIMES PAST
Many years ago the Tratturi,  a network of tracks across Southern Italy were once used by shepherds who drove their animals along with them from March to October every year.

This was called the Transumanza, which means a migratory movement of animals

They stopped to graze their animals on route, selling milk, cheese, wool and even skins as they went.
Local landowners and farmers worked alongside them, often offering them a place to sleep in a barn or stone shelter, and having the opportunity to find out about news from across the region, long before the TV, radio, internet and phones.

Goats, cattle and sheep were moved about in this way, and although it seemed a harsh existence it provided rich pastures and an income for many.

In the winter the shepherds returned to their homes and the livestock spent a few months in barns across the region.

The ROOTS of the Tratturi can be traced back for well over a thousand years, creating part the foundations on which Molise still sits today.

They are paths trodden by the Samnites, the Romans and many other pairs of feet, as well as hooves

 In  2006 the network of tracks was added to the UNESCO List of potential sites of global importance, but as yet they have not been recognised.

Sadly now eleven years later still very little has been done to protect them.  The only thing in their favour is they are hardly ever used, by animals anyway, or people

 Italian legislation prevents them from being a RIGHT OF WAY for vehicles, except for access to the houses and pastures which sit along side them.

Although there a few that do....

My little farm sits on the Celano to Foggia Tratturo , so weather permitting I can drive up to my house.

Concerns have been raised by the arrival of wind turbines now springing up like mushrooms across the region, scarring the landscape.

 MOLISE
We must not sit by and allow Molise to become like Wales, the small country, part of the United Kingdom.

There a vast forest of wind turbines has been created across the whole country changing it;s face and it's stark yet beautiful landscape irrecoverably.


NORTH WALES
For the farmers who own the land, yes they provide a valuable source of income as they are still able to graze their sheep under them so reap not only one income but two.


YES... Time marches on.
We demand more energy to sustain our lifestyle, but at what cost?

MOLISE, oh how I love you, 
But PLEASE WAKE UP.....
Before it is too late....

You have so much to offer.....

and

 SLOW TOURISM

is an option that will provide a much-needed income.

The Tratturi are an ideal resource for tourists, many of whom coming from Northern Europe, the states, and Canada are ardent walkers and nature lovers.

Let's tell 

THEM

 and 

encourage 

THEM  

to 

SHARE

                                    THIS

No, we don't want to RUIN it,

  but only to help you PROTECT it and SUSTAIN it.

Efforts made in the past, have failed. Signs like this one just a few metres from my home are a testament to this.

                                                        THE ANSWER 
                                     

 

 Let's find a way to ensure these Ancient paths continue to be routes trodden on foot, and horseback, with mules and dogs, trotting along beside us.....
Come on and join us.
Let's walk these paths TOGETHER

I

We are preparing ourselves now to walk along the 

           CELANO to FOGGIA TRATTURA 

Meet Barnaby he is going to join us for at least some of the way with his girls Lilly and Lotte
They are all in training already.and we want you to come too

ALL THE WAY

You might not want to come all the way, but you can join us to walk a part of the route, which we hope to walk in April or May 2018

You can come long on one of the short walking and fitness trips on the TRATTURI in this region and across Molise

which we will be running from March 2017 

Think what an amazing way to get fit and to enjoy the such an amazingly beautiful array of flora, fauna and wildlife at the same time.

For more information contact me 

PENNY BARRON on FACEBOOK 

or email me blackandwhitemolise@gmail.com

These videos of the Transumanza tell the stories of the journeys travelled in the past and more recently

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=b1_lOoO1anA&t=50s,

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQTakq94sbI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_lOoO1anA&t=50s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDZpH3Epe4s

GRAZIE TUTTI 

Lucito Respects

Lucito has an ageing population, a state of affairs now becoming commonplace in the small southern region of Molise, as younger people are struggling to scrape a living there. 

Lucito 

The village tries annually to show its senior members respect, by throwing a party.

Three senior gentlemen carried the wreath, and flag from the village social club to the war memorial.

S

Molise shows its RESPECT with a Trumpet salute which rang out over the village.

Eat, Drink and Be MERRY

In Molise food is an essential part of celebrating, and everyone invited along enjoyed an excellent repast, all cooked with dedication and passion by an army of local women.

                                       Pasta Arabbiata

                                        Veal and Peas

                                     Grapes and Melon

  

                             served with wine and water   

The buzz of village life, local people happily chatting, waiting to enjoy an afternoon of fun and food.

 

Lucito Rockstars played music all afternoon entertaining everyone.

Accomplished musicians playing the guitar, keyboards, flute, accordion along with some vibrant, and raucous singing kept everyone entertained throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

 
Tapping feet, and swirling, twirling couples flew around the floor.

The local band played from early afternoon through to evening when another group took over and their dancers stepped in to take over.

                                   And the party plays on 

One day of many......

From my perspective, the highlight of the day was meeting CARLO CONTINILLO, a gentleman of ninety-five, now the most senior citizen in Lucito.

He spoke to me in a quiet, kind gentle voice about his love of the countryside, and his life in Lucito, having lived there all his life he has a lot to share.

Proud now that he has reached the status of the most senior citizen something he richly deserves.

There is much more to Carlo than the light that still twinkles brightly in his eyes.

He proudly told me about his poetry, which I am able to copy down here with his permission

I look forward to meeting with him again to learn more about his life in Molise and be able to relate more of his tales.

IL MIO PAESE  "LUCITO"

Sui dolci pendii del colle

Coperti da manto boscoso

Sorge Lucito mio, Patria natia

Che spazia solenne la valle ubertosa

Nel paesello mio mia collina

Giace la mamma mia col babbo caro!

Lo l'amo tanto, veramente tanto;

Mestizia vien con malinconia

Sorge grazioso sopra un colle ameno

E mira ardito il Matese e l'Appennino

Da cui ricere il gelo e quanta brina

E la frescura dolce in sul mattino

Nei giorno lunghi afosi dell'Estate

Lucito mio e il nome amato 

Dal Sud al Nord ai piedi suoi si snoda

Il piccolo Biferno ondeggiante,

E dona a chi concede la fortuna

di rimarla specie a Primavera

Nell'alma tanta pace e un gaudio al cuore

Il popol che ci vive, il popol mio

Cui voglio tanto bene immensamente 

E semplice, gentile, onesto e buono

Lavora i campi per la maggior parte

Insieme alla gente mia che e Lucitese

Per noi tu sei il piu del Molise

Tu sei come un Santo in Paradiso

Abbiamo vie e piazze che son amore

Ed il corso pieno d'alberi e di fiori

Sembra un tappeto fatto da un pittore

D'inverno che ti metti il manto bianco

Tu sei la stella dei paesi a fianco

Tutti mi sono amici tanto cari

I miei concittadini laboriosi

Pero ad onor del vero devo dire

Che piu di tutto, stringo con vigore

Dei contradini c'hanno il cuore d'oro 

CARLO CONTINILLO

THANK YOU