Following Footsteps
Yesterday was the first of May, ironically a day of celebration for the working man. Following in the footsteps of those who trod the ancient Celano to FoggiaTratturo - One of a network of drover’s paths, hosting the annual Transhumance which runs below my house in Molise, I walked with a local guide Guglielmo Ruggerio (CIMEtiamoci) just a small section of the route.
Sadly now the tratturi are extremely neglected, although thanks to the efforts of a number of local people their importance is beginning to be recognized.
As a local archaeologist walking with us yesterday reminded us the origins of these routes reach back thousands of years.
In recent years few people have walked them in their entirety or even in part, although a professor Corrado Guarino Lo Bianco walked the Celano to Foggia Tratturo in 2011. I hope to track him down as immensely impressed by what he did.
http://www.leviedellatransumanza.org/index.php/en/contatti-en-uk
Mainly for shepherds to bring their sheep and cattle to fresh green pastures they were also trade routes which provided local people with fresh produce and news of life further afield. With no cell phones, internet or television the world was a smaller place
There is even a suggestion that the network of routes may eventually be recognised become a national treasure if the plans to develop go ahead with UNESCO.
http://www.repubblica.it/cultura/2018/03/27/news/italia_candida_transumanza_a_patrimonio_culturale_dell_umanita_unesco-192388096/
However, in the meantime, local walking groups and many individuals continue to strive to encourage a collective responsibility in a part of Southern Italy’s history which has remained forgotten and largely ignored for many years.
My quest is not for the Holy Grail but to work with others to rekindle interest and recognition of the tratturi, in particular, the route to Celano - Foggia which runs right across my land.
So when local guide Guglielmo Ruggerio (CIMEntiamoci) contacted me to suggest my joining them on a walk along a small section of the Tratturo here I literally jumped with joy
.https://www.facebook.com/www.cimentiamoci.it/
The group of ten or so were of mixed ages and abilities but this part of the Tratturo presents little challenge to anyone with a reasonable level of fitness. The only difficulty perhaps being the steepness of the path in places. As we walked downhill this was not particularly difficult, although getting back up would not be so easy.
Although much of the tratturi has been poached by local landowners over the years, and indeed in parts become part of a road, or even built on.
Originally they were 111 metres wide, or sixty Neopolitan steps ( An ancient measurement which was apparently the distance between two of the milestones which were once in place along the route, although now few of them survive.
In my research, I just today I came across some current work carried out by students at Molise university. It is a hugely valuable and interesting source of information for anyone interested in finding out more about the history of the Transhumance and Tratturi.
file:///C:/Users/PC%20User/Downloads/land-07-00003%20(1).pdf
I hope to get in contact with them to find out more.
Back to my walk.
Just a few steps from home I fell in love with Molise all over again when a view of the Biferno valley opened up before me.
An immense patchwork of colour laying across the landscape, with a greater array of greens than any artist could produce on a palette.
Taking photographs is a must, but they do not do justice to the simply breathtaking view of field, stone, path and mountain.
There are already a huge variety of flowers in abundance, but I unable to name them all.
The bright purple Orchids stood proudly above the gently wafting grasses surrounding them, pink and white Dog Roses adorned a multitude of bushes, and abundance of pretty white Blackthorn blossom perfumed the air.
These were just merely a few, many other blooms whose names I need to discover.
Nature is at work too with animal and insect life too.
At the top of the path just below the road from Lucito to Castelbottacio, there is a small spring, which once was commonly frequented by local children to catch frogs or play, but now no, as games on phones and computers sadly seem much more interesting.
Yesterday the spring was teaming with Tadpoles, flicking their tiny tales and biding time until they turn into frogs and can hop away.
For me yesterday was just the start of a new adventure to explore the Tratturi of Molise, to find out more about its history and those whose feet in ancient times trudged along its grassy tracks.
Join me in my quest by following my blogs, check out my website, perhaps even visiting me, and helping me if you can to restore something that must not be forgotten.
www.labbracciodeltratturo.com