Dear Al,
I am so pleased to hear that you are getting better and better all the time.
To help cheer you up even more, I though you might like to see the translation of the latest News from Torricella - that Antonio posted on the Forum....
Much love from England,
Marion Porreca.
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From Antonio Piccoli:

Usually I write these little newsy notes for the Website, but, at the moment, this is at a standstill. Whilst waiting for it to take up its activities again as soon as possible, for now, I shall transfer this to the Forum.
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Sunday 11th May was a beautiful, warm sunny day in Torricella. From up on the “Coste” there was a spectacle of nature, there was not a cloud in the sky, the countryside was an emerald green and the peaks of the Maiella were snow-white.

The Pro Loco hit things just right for their first Ecological Day. To foretell that it would be such a wonderful day at Torricella was wonderful luck. There were about fifty of us, boys and girls, youths and older people. Everyone came well equipped with gardening gloves, sticks, brooms and bush-cutters. They agreed to meet at 7 o’clock in the morning to give a thorough clean-up to “The Coste”, the oldest part of Torricella, which unfortunately still carries the scars from the last war and which sadly underwent the worst of the depopulation of the 50’s and 60’s. The plan was to clean the many green corners dotted about amongst the calcareous rock walls, the old houses and the stone walls, removing brushwood, metal netting, rusty metal, abandoned who knows how long ago, and to transform it all into small, gracious terraces full of flowers and colours. Already after the first few hours of work, the results were evident.

I do not know how it ended since I had to leave early, but the according to the programme they would be working at least until 2 o’clock and then would go to rooms in the elementary school to take some refreshments of rolls, porchetta, broad beans and lamb, offered by the Town Hall.

This was the first endeavour of the new Pro Loco. Founded at the beginning of April, it already has 183 members. It was a true success with unexpected support. A demonstration once more, as if there were need of it, of how much Torricellans love their own village and of how generous they are in putting themselves at the disposition of others for undertakings that can give back a certain polish and vitality to their place of birth.

The feeling spurring on these young people is that of making life better for those who live there, and also to make the village more welcoming for those who decide to come here for the summer or during the year.

During last year’s electoral campaign, the Mayor, Tiziano Teti, spoke of a pathway to be undertaken in order to achieve the “Orange Flag” (“Bandiera arancione”)[1] and this effort is certainly a good beginning.

By the way, anyone who wishes to join and to help Torricella, just needs to ask the President, Antonio Di Fabrizio (di tup), or the Treasurer, Giose Di Iorio (di la casette). Annual membership costs 15 Euros. The headquarters is obviously in Torricella, at via Michele Persichetti, 1.

There was also another motive for cleaning the “Coste”: that of starting to prepare this “location” for the great event programmed for 18th and 19th July; when the “Art, Music and Flavours” exhibition will be organised along the streets of the old quarter, with various art exhibits, from paintings to photographs, music recitals and stands with typical products of the village and of the Region. Then the highlight of the event will take place during the night between the 19th (Saturday) and the 20th (Sunday): the “Notte bianca” (“White Night))[2] with festivities such as music and many other initiatives throughout the night, continuing until dawn.

There is great activity in Torricella and there are many appointments to be organised in the programme, to be put into practice in June, July and August. For example, on 8the June there will be an ecological walk; on 22nd June there will be a track event, both a competitive 13 Km race and a non-competitive 3 Km stroll. A famous Abruzzan athlete, Alberico Di Cecco, who runs at National level, will be present for the race; on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd August the third literary festival dedicated to John Fante will be held; on 13th August there will be the award for “Torricellan in the World”, followed by the Pranzo della Tresca, (the meal of the Harvest or Threshing). There are many other events yet to be defined, such as a theatrical show, probably a concert dedicated to Vincenzo Bellini, in addition to the usual feast days for the Patron Saints, the Alpini and the walk to the Monastery that we of the Forum are organising.

Here are another two items of news:
Firstly, Don Peppino, Torricella’s Parish Priest, has announced that, thanks to intervention from the Archbishop of Chieti, Bruno Forte, money for the Church of San Giacomo has finally arrived, out of the 8 per 1,000 funds of the CEI, Italian Episcopal Conference. It is 80,000 Euros. It may not be much, but enough to repair the roof of the left nave. The firm Taddeo, which repaired the other part of the roof, has already been booked. The work should commence at the end of May and be finished in August. Hopefully, the money will suffice and no other work will be necessary, otherwise there will have to be a Commission to collect further funds.
Secondly, this summer the picnic area near to the ?furnace / ?brickworks / ?kiln will be open again. Its management has been acquired by Massimiliano Nicolò (di lu mediche), a young married man of about thirty from Rome, whose parents are Torricellans; he has decided to live in Torricella. Rebuilding, cleaning and setting it up has already begun; there will be a five-aside football pitch; it will be like a Tavola Calda by day and a Pub by night, with beer and live music. Later, if all goes well, he intends to build some bungalows and set up places for sleeping.

With all this news, I have felt a sensation of renewed vitality; it is as if there were more people in Torricella.

Maybe this is another reason why many people are deciding to buy houses there – English and Torricellans too: Tonino Monte, Mario Di Fabrizio, Mario and Loredana Croce. After all, with 40 – 50 thousand Euros one can buy a nice little house on the Coste, rebuild it and make oneself a nice “retreat” for the weekend, for the summer and also for spending periods of tranquillity in a beautiful, revitalised, uncontaminated environment … and it is our home.
Who could want anything more?

Oh! I nearly forgot that Sunday 11th May was Mother’s Day and at the ONARMO in Torricella volunteers from the AIC, the Italian Association for the fight against Cancer, set up a stall to sell Azalea plants, and, as all over Italy, to raise money for the Association. I do not know how many of them were sold but I can say that there was a very long queue and I had to wait ages to buy one.
>>>>

The next item of news concerns me personally: On 27th July there will be a Festa for all those born in 1948. We shall be 60 years old, a nice “winning post”. The two people organising it are Pietro D'Ippolito (di carrare) e Peppe Di Paolo (di marcunette).
Do you know how many of us were born in 1948? There were 97!!! Yet nowadays there are only about 7 or 8 births each year. Certainly, the population was larger then, about 4,000, whereas now there are only 1,500, but the size of population alone does not justify such a big difference. I reckon rather that it was because it was immediately after the War and the village needed to be “rebuilt”. Some died at birth or in early childhood, because infant mortality was still fairly high, which was another reason for the high birth rate, but many of us are still alive and healthy. Pietro told me that he has sent out a good 70 invitations all over the World, from Canada to Australia, as well of course as to Italy.

The party will be held at the Capè Restaurant and it will be enlivened with music and dancing. I too am taking this opportunity to extend a very warm welcome to all Torricellans of my age to come and make their presence felt.

Furthermore, I would really like to have any photos from when we were young and best of all ones with all of us at the Elementary School. We can make an exhibit for the occasion.

Antonio Piccoli.


Addendum
A really sad loss hit Torricella suddenly when Mario Ficca died unexpectedly despite rapid medical assistance. He was an Accountant, well known in Torricella for his calmness and for his professional and political abilities. This event shook many people in the village and there were a very large number of people taking part in the funeral procession.

Translator’s Notes:



[1] La BANDIERA ARANCIONE “Orange Flag”
is the mark of quality for the tourist environment in Italy awarded by the Italian Touring Club.
It is given to localities satisfying certain criteria in the development of a tourism of quality.
Evaluation of culture, care in safeguarding the environment, hospitality, accessibility and availability of resources, quality of accommodation, eating facilities and typical local products, are only some of the key elements necessary to obtaining this mark.
The Orange Flag is one of the instruments with which the Touring Club offers tourists a guarantee of quality and it is an instrument for evaluating the localities.

[2] Notte Bianca is an initiative of various countries around the world. The phrase "Notte Bianca" comes from Italian and means White Night. The Night would consist of various activities throughout a whole night. Most of the time this is accompanied with late public transport and great security around the city. It is a thoroughly modern concept and only began around the World in 1997 in Berlin; 2002 in Paris, 2005 in Rome and another 5 European Cities. This year it is even in Torricella!
Actually the first notte bianca was held in 1833 at Lanciano in Abruzzo and even now, after over 150 years, that still takes place on the night between 13th and 14th September.