Never before I felt I should directly involve myself in writing reports for this virtual museum, as I’m going to do now for the Trappeto district of my native village.
But can I speak about a place as if it was a dead person? And without expressing my sentiments? I’m afraid it must be done, because the Trappeto, a dwelling place inhabited by our forefathers since times immemorial has died.
Its houses were partially hollowed out in the mountain flank on the the top of which other districts were built but only in more recent times.
The Trappeto inhabitants were poor peasants and farm labourers engaged as seasonal hands by local large estate owners. Almost all of those workers and their families fled definitely from our hometown in the Fifties and the Sixties,
Now the Trappeto, even if not damaged by the last two earthquakes, has been ordered by the local municipality not to be considered for any further housing projects.
Among other young people that left then Montecalvo there was also I and only after experiencing what it means living in better administrated townships and cities I understood what pity it was that back home responsible people (the èlite) didn’t endeavour to do anything to save and valorise with the Trappeto as a cultural and historic site.
More recently a dear friend of Ariano went there with a group of young people from his home country and did some general cleaning in the place; but their example has not in the least been followed by the lazy local youth.
Now I cannot ignore a sad reality: the Montecalvese inhabitants whose houses border from above the Trappeto have begun to discharge on this poor district all kind of foul garbage as if it was their dustbin.