Winds and rainbows

Today I stood on top the world looking out over the Coste, the canyon below the hilltop town of Trivento in Molise. Early in the morning when I met my guide, a young man bursting with ideas and enthusiasm on how to move Molise forward.

Coffee and a very tasty brioche in a local bar were the best way to start the morning which was initially grey and overcast. However once fuelled with fresh coffee I was given a comprehensive and enlightening tour of the local area.

It was a joy to meet someone so keen to tell me about their ideas on what can and should be done to create tourism in the area, something it needs NOW.

Trivento, which translates literally as Three Winds, sits proudly and definitely as do most of the towns and villages here, waiting patiently as time ticks by hastening further the decline of so many houses in the old part of the town.

Stone and mortar have stood the test of time, but sadly now as the population of the town has declined over the past twenty years as it has across the region.

The old town is dominated by an incredibly beautiful church of immense proportions. Apparently, there has been a church on the site for over a thousand years, and below the foundations are remains of an ancient temple which predates Christianity.

The church is dominated by a fresco in the dome where a dove transcends to the heavens. When you stand to stare up at it seems to take your heart with it to soar out above the world beyond.

In complete contrast, the church also houses a crypt where you can walk amongst the columns beneath the transcript and altar. The stones are a testament to the age of the ancient building holding the faith and belief of so many who have prayed in hope and often desperation within its walls.

Back outside in the piazza in front of the church clearly displays the changes that have been made over the years. You can the differences in the stones, and styles of craftsmanship used to rebuild it over time.

Continuing to walk around the old town there are so many houses for sale waiting for somebody new to come along to breath new live into their empty rooms, throw open their shutters and help them live again.

The emptiness resonates but welcomes you as turn each corner, flowers still blooming in rocky crevices giving colour to the grey stone.  The town has seen so much over so many years, giving safe haven to its residents in times of war and strive. Now it is ready to receive the footsteps of others who want to soak up it's history.  It needs tourists as does every tiny hamlet and village in the region.
People who appreciate what was once there. Those interested in art, nature, history, and a simple beauty which transcends over Molise like a cloak from the past.

As the morning mist lifted we stood looking out over the parapets of the town over the valley which sweeps down to the Trigno river in the bottom. A rainbow appeared over the forest below bringing a rich array of colour to the greens of leave and bud.

Perhaps someone will find the gold at the bottom of the rainbow and use it to restore Trivento to it's former glory.

Let me know what you think.....

Molise, and blue skies

 Molise, tumbling, tumultuous hills rising up to meet snowy capped mountains and sweeping down into long rock-strewn rivers rumbling onto till they meet the sea.
An area so diverse not only it's natural landscape, but also the vegetation, which ranges from bamboo, and tough tangled grasses to Olive groves, with vineyards on the sloping hillsides down to orchards of Oranges and Lemons near the Adriatic coast.

 

Every day, no matter which direction I go, I drive past rocky outcrops, forests of mighty Oaks, bamboo, gorse, grass, and meadow.
The roads snake up and down the mountains, crossing rivers and valleys until you reach the coast.
An endless carpet of greens and browns stretched out beneath a blue sky.

Sometimes there are streaks of white cloud scattered across the sky, but often it merely blue. As the sun rises over the sea in the morning the pink veil of dawn lifts to reveal a vibrant blue, which is often exactly the shade every child uses to paint a sky... Sky Blue.

Now as the weeks roll on into Spring, the colours are becoming more vibrant as everything seems to be bursting into life.
Since I began this project I have taken more than five thousand photos, yet they do not capture the full glory of the countryside that surrounds me here in Molise.

Molise is unique because it has such a hugely diverse landscape, in such a small area, within a few miles you will see so much. It still takes my breath away when I round a corner and am met by a range of mountains, or a huge wooded hillside.

Flowers are not only bursting forth in the fields, orchards and woodland but in pots on balconies. Which you now see in abundance in every town and village bring colour to the dull, decaying buildings. Everything from Camelias and Wisteria, to Begonias and Geraniums.

Molise a land of magic for photographers, botanists, ecologists, historians, artists, writers, walkers, and just someone seeking a place to really get away from it all.

Pictures tell a story

Civitacamporano is a hilltop village in the Molise region of Italy where the streets are not paved with gold but instead decorated by a whole range of beautiful and fascinating murals by an American Artist called Alice Pasquini whose grandparents originally came from the village.

This village is exceptionally beautiful and combined with a trip to visit other places in the area you will not be disappointed if you come to visit... I guarantee it ....

Like many of the hilltop villages in this region, Civitacamporano has fallen into disrepair due to lack of work for local people who are being forced to move away to seek work elsewhere. This is nothing new of course as the first immigrants began to leave the rural parts of Souther Italy after the WWII to find work in Canada and the US. 

Many of these people now are tracing their ancestors back to Italy and in some areas buying property which will help arrest it's decline.

The town although still in decline with the numbers of inhabitants falling is well worth going to see, especially if you are an ART LOVER.

However some years ago when Alice Pasquini http://www.alicepasquini.com/ first painted the murals here it brought new life to the village. 

When I visited the village for the first time a group of local boys showed me round. 

They led my friend Emanuele, a local artist and myself round to see every mural. Some are tucked away in doorways and others cover whole walls.

 

My favourite is a series of tree people who are cutting themselves free to clamber or drift away from their roots. Painted merely in black they are exceptional and draw one into wanting to understand the purpose of their mass exodus. 

Sadly villages like this are unique, their fortified walls have seen men fall in battle and they have resounded with the song of victory when their own troops rallied forth. Now due to lack of resources at a local level, they are suffering to keep the villages ticking over.

But don't let this put you off as a tourist. In every town and village in Molise people will welcome you will welcome you with open arms.

They are friendly, hospitable and try to be helpful.

There is some English spoken although now many will admit to it, so try your Italian out if you have any as it will be appreciated. 

Tourism is their best hope to survive so read my blogs about the area. If you want to come and visit the area get in contact with me and I will find you the best places to eat and stay

There are so many places to visit and so much good food. All the produce eaten in local restuarants is produced locally and all of exceptional quality.

Merely pictures on a wall

Campobasso the regional capital of Molise is a city of two parts, both the old and the new sitting side by side.

This is not unusual of course in the world today, where wars, earthquakes and simply the passage of time have made their mark.

If you stand to look out over the skyline of virtually any city large or small in the world today you will see a tangle of buildings old and new, like trees in a jungle reaching upwards to reach the sky.

Although a small city of only 225, 000 inhabitants Campobasso tries to hold it's head high in the rural region of Molise where money is in short supply. There is very little industry so the region's main income is from agriculture.

However, for me, there is one thing that makes Campobasso stand out from the crowd. It's ART. Some might not agree with me, but in my opinion, Molise should capitalise on the talents of it's many, many accomplished artists and use their abilities to sell the city and the region simply by promoting it's art.

Apart from the talents of the street artists of which there are many, there are also many talented fresco artists painting exceptionally beautiful paintings in the churches.

There are young exceptionally talented graphic artists, portrait artists and others all of whom need support to find a way to make a living through their talent and not be forced to leave the region to earn a living.

Art is not new to Molise, the astonishingly beautiful churches and castles have stood here for centuries decorated by local artists and craftsman. 

Exceptionally talented Artists from the past like Elena Ciamarra from Torella Del Sannio still remain unknown.
Her life work of over 3000 paintings sits gathering dust waiting for an opportunity to be displayed and to finally be given the recognition it deserves.

The village of Civitcampomarano too, in Molise, is a spectacular hilltop village, with fortified walls and a castle which holds another secret, it's walls are adorned by a whole selection of murals tucked away in doorways and waiting to surprise as you turn every corner. Many are painted by artist American and Italian Alice Pasquini, whose family we originally from the village
Returning to Campobasso city the wall murals around the city are exceptional and I am hoping to meet with the artists who have painted them, to learn more about their work.

In the next few months, I hope to meet with artists, schools, and colleges in the area and work with them to build links with artists and art lovers in the UK and elsewhere in the world...

I want to help the WORLD to find YOU .... MOLISE  and see WHAT you have to offer.

So if you are an Artist here in Molise, or want to find out more about ART here in Molise





GET IN TOUCH with ME NOWPLEASE

The roar of a lion

Every village, town and hamlet I visit in Molise seems to hold another surprise in store for me, and everyone something different.
When I explored to the mountain village of Macchiagodena a village  I discovered a small terrace in front of the castle which looks out on the land below. In it stands two large containers of pencils, which are so realistic I wanted to lift one out to start to draw with it. There are piles of books to read, and seats with an astounding view of the Majella Mountains. It is an absolute joy for book lovers like me.

The village itself was originally a SAMNITE settlement nearly one thousand years ago. The SAMNITES a fierce warrior race who fought the Romans.

The castle, which was virtually impregnable sits proudly above the Biferno valley. Its large imposing towers nestled into the rock on which they perch.

Below the castle is an imposing Romanesque lion who surveys those who pass with cold stone eyes. Having seen the march of time one wonders what he would make of the world today if could raise his head to roar.

On my visit in March this year, I did not get a chance to visit the church but will return to see it, along with a visit to the interior of the castle I hope.

I am looking forward to talking with some local people to learn a little more about the village and indeed others across  Molise

Macchiagodena is certainly well loved, as indeed are the villages in Molise, although here it seems to hold its head very high rather like it's stone lion.

Two gentlewomen

A few weeks ago in the village of Torella di Sannio I spoke to two beautiful, kind ladies. Both well into their eighties.
Their father was the village tailor, a man of great foresight. He insisted both his daughters received a good education which at that time in rural Molise was not easy.
Their elementary education begun at the castle, where they were taught by
 Bright young ladies and incidentally  still bright as buttons today, they both went onto study.
At this time in rural Italy that certainly would not have been easy. They would have usually have been expected to take up a life of domesticity.
However the Emma eldest went onto study as a pharmacist in Rome, and her younger sister Edith to teacher training college.

Emma talked with great excitement about Rome at that time was a very exciting place. I hope to hear more about those days another time.
Having trained as a pharmacist she returned to Torella but unfortunately had to give it up in time due to ill health and she too went into teaching. A lady of fortitude she taught the sciences in high school and would not have been a teacher you misbehaved with.

Edith a beautiful lady still has a gentle, kind nature and one is able to see even now how much all  children must  have adored her.

They told me folk tales of witches who many people believed in, and some still do today.
There was a custom which required an old broom being kept at the door at night. This apparently kept the witches busy until morning when they had to disappear.

I am looking forward to talking to them again and finding out more about their fascinating lives in the beautiful hilltop town where they have lived themselves for almost a century.

Thank you Torella gentle ladies.

An army never marches on an empty stomach

The relics and memories of WWII

This week I did a little research on Molise, and how the second world war impacted on the region.

I discovered that there is a grat deal in this area of interest, particularly to anyone who might have actually fought in the region or are trying to trace a family member.