Tag Archives: andrea braconi

Friday, 24 March 2017 15:27

ABOUT SMALL MUD VOLCANOES, PROFILES AND LIGHT

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A former teacher, Stafano enjoys bringing to the attention of visitors every corner of the territory of Monteleone di Fermo, especially the areas where these impressive spill points persist, both those already known and those recently discovered.

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“It is a geological phenomenon that has always intrigued me,” he explains while he hits the ground. “Lately there has been much talk of the correlation between them and the earthquake, especially after what happened on January 18 and the subsequent mud leak in the area of Santa Vittoria in Matenano. The shocks surely facilitate this situation, in the same way as the action of water or the internal gas pressure, tho.”

Hence the suggestion, one kilometer after another, of the mutations along the river Ete Vivo, sometimes visible even within the same stream bed. Spots, flows and buildups that on a different scale visually recall canyons and inlets at different latitudes. The small size is precisely the added value of this scientific, geological and natural heritage, and its full accessibility amplifies the appeal of a hike that is out of the ordinary.

Stefano is also able to get you to raise your eyes, while he points out – with his ever-present stick – the refined, gentle shape of a hill, a perfectly restorated but once abandoned country house (bought by some wealthy overseas tourist), the profiles of neighboring villages and the almost perfect light that hits the historic center of Monteleone.

He can also guide you with his rare expertise through the Church of Our Lady of Mercy, a fifteenth-century Romanesque church which houses works by the school of Crivelli, and through some essential spots such as the Civic Tower and the town hall. Right there where the works of artists and photographers from the Marche, led by painter Letizia Ciccarelli from Macerata, will be on display until April 16. An exhibition named “Incrollabili”, which gives the true meaning of the human and historical resistance that has become more and more the hallmark of this region in recent months.

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It’s sunset and Monteleone di Fermo looks like magic, casting a spell on your eyes and voice. A magic that I invite you to breathe by visiting this precious treasure, maybe during the annual Giornate FAI di Primavera (FAI Spring Days) on March 25 and 26. And if you need any help, just look for a muddy stick.

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ANDREA BRACONI

Friday, 17 March 2017 10:33

WALKING (AND SKIPPING) TOGETHER

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“What exactly do you do for a living, dad?”. It’s the adverb that puts you in trouble, because you know that you have to give an unequivocal answer. And because writing is never restricted to one particular field. It’s something liquid, mixed with perceptions. Writing fluctuates between different dimensions, each of which is always ready to intersect with the other.

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One of these is being a parent, which is “job” as well, and the most harmonious one.

And when the journalist and the father meet, just a few hours before March 19, all the stories they experienced together throughout their land connect with each other.

Stories that involve eggs, chasing balls, caressing glasses and hay bales. Even the amazing discovery of an abandoned place.

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And you remember the moment when the snap was overwhelmed by a feeling of awe stemming from being able to grasp a new word, or from a sudden and unsettling question that was forming.

You remember the taste of the sand of your sea, “which belongs to everyone, dad”.

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You cannot and do not want to forget a cry under a fresco, not because of the indifference in front of a little masterpiece, but because hunger takes precedence.

In this steaming pot of memories there are the steps to the Cave of the Sibyl, the meandering colors in the rain, the silence taken by the hand on the stands of a Roman theater, the time spent hiding in the bright green waves, the consumed boards of a stage, the kite blown eastward by the wind.

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And finally some rest, that makes your heart explode.

So best wishes, dear dads. And always celebrate the privilege of having this “job.” No need to browse a calendar.

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ANDREA BRACONI

Tuesday, 14 March 2017 09:46

SOMETIMES IN LIFE, YOU JUST HAVE TO REST

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I am asked to describe the Marche and to possibily give voice to those everyday heroes who have made and are making this land great.

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I try very hard to run into those heroes at every step, even the smallest one. There are many stories I’ve collected over the years that I will be able to let breathe here. And there are many others that have just been mentioned, along roads that still need to be known.

But then there are days when you’re only in search of yourself, and in order to rest – that’s right, to rest! – you rush out of bed early in the morning and choose to go West. Right there where the Apennine Mountains hide priceless gems.

For this writer resting in fact means above all to observe, to dig through the colors, to be silent in the middle of a path. So, in early March I go through Fiegni, a small outlying suburb hamlet of Fiastra near Macerata. Just above the artificial lake fed by the river Fiastrone, at the Ruffella viewpoint I put my boots on and start to go down towards one of the most enchanting parts of the Sibillini Mountains.

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The sound of the rattling stones that mingles with the late-winter wind. The profile of the dam on the right side, caressed by the wavy water surface. The trees that become your roof. The slope that makes your knees bend, but not your desire. A Fiat Panda on the edge of it. The white and red signs that push you ahead, one intersection after another.

A half hour before you reach your destination, though, a greeting puts everything into question. It takes the form of a hero you would never have thought of shaking hands with.

“I am cutting wood for my house, for my fireplace, although the earthquake forced us to move away this year”. Mario, aged “way over 70,” lived in Fiegni before the October shocks damaged his house while he was out in the garden, when the plants began to sway back and forth and the gate pillars seemed to move. “I felt as if my feet were dancing and my upper body was shaking, something incredible! I now live in Polverina, where my daughter got married, and I’m coming back here because breathing mountain air always feels good.” Mario owns lots of land, and as many hectares of forest. He comes up here to carefully chop wood, always certain of one thing: “I go home at noon, change and have a nice lunch.”

He’s the same person who, after taking off his work glove, shaking hands with me and wiping a tear from his deep wrinkles, yells at me while I try to pick up the pace among the rocks and the shrubs: “Sometimes in life, you just have to rest “. That’s right, to rest, that feeling to which we both give the same meaning, without even knowing each other. The same feeling that makes you leave all your notes behind in the middle of the week and pushes you to stand before the fragile majesty of the Lame Rosse (“Red Blades”). The sounds change there, with the amount of gravel that sets the rhythm and the passing of time. The erosion (and the earthquake) transforms season after season this portion of land made of incisive colors, without changing its charm and unique magnetism. I stand there several minutes to catch the light reflections, as well as the stillness of the snow hidden inside. In the meantime, you can feel a continuous and harmonious rolling, almost like a chant.

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On my way back, Mario is gone, as well as his white Panda, with which he travels to carry wood among these woods. However, the stacks of branches and logs are there, perfectly chopped and left behind to be loaded tomorrow. He’ll be leaving once again from Polverina. It’s like that pile it’s there to show that there is someone who is forced to bend every time, and then rise again. To bend over, only to rise again. Managing to find one’s own rest time through these movements.

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ANDREA BRACONI

Wednesday, 01 February 2017 10:17

Snow that muffles everything and changes us

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The month of January we’ve just left behind will be remembered for the significant inconvenience caused by snowstorms and for the fear of new tremors. Crisis situations that have taken a toll on both the population and the whole emergency network, starting with local authorities. When an apparent calm returned, everyone was trying to get back to their normal everyday routine consisting of work and passions.

Several years ago, Nicola Pezzotta and Stefano Properzi found a home for their unconditional love for the mountains. A blog, actually – coninfacciaunpodisole.it – through which they try to describe Le Marche while snowshoeing, with the help of some friends. It’s been a little more than two years since they started to organize trips even during wintertime, because the Sibillini area, so severley tested, is able to offer indelible experiences thanks to a ever changing landscape of snow.

At first, Nicola used to opt for a well-deserved period of “hibernation” before resuming his outdoor activity in March. But if you carry the mountains inside of you, you start missing them. So, with the right equipment he slowly came to realize that certain views were priceless. “The snow, it muffles and changes everything”, he tells us. “It softens and transforms the landscape. Snowshoeing in the woods, where the snow is always fresh, is exciting to say the least. And when you reach ice-covered spots, you discover some beautiful, unique views that really change your perspective”.

The snowshoes on your feet provide almost a sense of freedom, despite the fact that the amount of effort required is twice that of the amount required under snow-free conditions. As for clothing and equipment, he always recommends wearing waterproof boots and gaiters over your trousers to avoid getting wet up to the knees. It is better to dress in layers on top, with a winter jacket or a windbreaker, preferably waterproof, because the apparent temperature decreases even further with the rigid temperatures of high altitudes and the wind. And you should never forget gloves, hat and sunglasses to protect your eyes from the very bright light. Nicola can’t forget a trip to Castelluccio in early 2016, when the temperature reached minus 20 degrees, while in the Plains, where the weather conditions are usually different than at higher altitudes, it reached a historical record of minus 35.

As for beverages, “always bring something warm, like a thermos bottle full of hot coffee to help you recover”. This is the kind of advice he gives weekly to the dozens of people who take part in trips that he and Stafano organize. Except for food (“I’m not the right person to be getting advice from, because I’m too affectionate to my panini”), thoroughness is one of his most striking traits. This also includes monitoring seismically active areas after new tremors. “In the aftermath of a seismic event, Stefano and I go through it and try to figure out where is safe to go and where is not. Gorges are out of the question, since avalanche danger increases in winter, so we go looking for areas with little or no slope and no movements of snow. In addition to this, we always check which roads are open and which ones are closed. Just think of the closed road that links Visso to Ussita: there are quiet areas at the top, but there’s no way to get there, so we give up and choose different paths instead”.

He says it is always better to listen to you inner voice that tells you whether the time is right or wrong, and yet be aware that people want and need to go there, to have fun but also to meet those affected by the earthquake. Nicola’s recent history teaches us that snowshoeing can change you and make you look at things in a different, more real way. No-holds-barred. Just leave it to your snowshoes.

NEXT TRIPS IN LE MARCHE

– Saturday February 4: Sibillini at sunset, snowshoeing trip to Piani di Ragnolo

– Sunday February 12: Sibillini, snowshoeing trip to Santuario di Macereto

ANDREA BRACONI

Wednesday, 28 December 2016 10:36

ABOUT TASTE, CULTURE AND HOPE: THE HOLIDAY SEASON (WITHOUR FEAR) ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF MACERATA

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2016 is coming to an end, but there’s still time to capture snapshots and emotions. We’re doing that by coming back to the municipalities worst affected by the earthquake, in order to share the actual feeling that the deafening silence descended after the shocks on October 26th and 30th is giving way to a melting pot of voices and noises which is slowly reconnecting everyday life with its essential elements.

A rhythm imposed by the first steps of a reconstruction that won’t see the light of day until spring, but in the meantime, is making us focus on a crucial issue: this part of Le Marche region has not the slightest intention to stop breathing and remains faithfully attached to its mountains so full of suggestions.

Henche the spontaneous desire to tell how it is possible to reach those places and admire their charm, even during the Christmas holidays. That’s right, we can still decide to visit Macerata and surroundings, traveling to Belforte del Chienti, Caldarola Cessapalombo, Caporotondo di Fiastrone and Serrapetrona. Of course you should take the necessary precautions, such as getting information about earthquake-related road issues and closures, and avoiding red zone areas. But you can still live in those villages – indeed you should do so.

Let’s try together. We could start from the old town centre of Belforte del Chienti and admire the Polyptych by Giovanni Boccati in the Church of Saint Eustace. Going down the road, we’d reach the deconsecrated church of San Sebastiano, ready to reveal its fourteenth-century frescoes, and the MIDAC (International Dynamic Contemporary Art Museum). And we couldn’t simply walk away when standing in front of Palazzo Bonfranceschi, a historic house converted into a Bed & Breakfast, which is currently sheltering people left homeless after the earthquake.

If hunger becomes unbearable, we could immediately placate it by stopping at the cheese factory & farm Di Pietrantonio for a cheese feast and a taste of coppa, one of the most typical cured meats of Le Marche region.

Once the taste buds are satisfied, why not move to Serrapetrona for a journey between art and taste? Beginning with the Church of Saint Francis with the Polyptych by Lorenzo d’Alessandro and continuing with Palazzo Claudi, where we can discover the skeleton of a prosaurolophus (that’s true, a dinosaur that “mysteriously” traveled from the States to the Sibillini mountains) and the unique history of the Claudi family, linked to a series of inventions; moving forward, we couldn’t miss a tasting of Vernaccia by Lanfranco Quacquarini, a historical wine maker linked to a tradition that knows how to appeal to contemporary taste.

Caldarola is among the municipalities most evidently damaged by the quake, yet the hamlet of Pievefavera is one of those corners that could steal your heart, with his thirteenth-century castle (that can only be admired from the outside, unfortunately), his old town centre that appears to have withstood the quake without damage and a view towards the reflections of lake Caccamo.

Mile after mile, bend after bend, we could hike towards Contrada Castello di Cessapalombo and reach the organic farm Maurizi Luigino and get lost among the flavors of their jams. And of their legumes, cured meats and meat… allowing ouselves a few extra minutes to understand the hard work required by each saffron pistil.

On our way back, still overwhelmed by temptations, instinct would suggest to take a small road in the surroundings of Contrada Colvenale di Camporotondo that leads straight to the organic farmhouse “Al respiro del bosco,” a place of excellence created by a Venetian family that, like many others, has chosen our region to start over.

To start over: the perfect verb to instill and fuel curiosity about these magnificent “containers” of art, history and taste. Places where residents are now starting to see a future again.

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(Special thanks to Erika Carassai and Ciro Gentile, who worked hard to organize the media tour # 5BORGHIDASCOPRIRE, which took place on December 10 in the municipalities mentioned above. And many thanks to the bloggers and the Instagramers who helped bring the light back after the fear. Specifically, Chiara Palmieri and Vissia Lucarelli for allowing us to share some of the photos of the places we visited).

Story and photos by Andrea Braconi