(in progress)
It must have been in the early 1950s when Gigi and Ninì met.
He grew up in Selva di Fasano, a small village in Puglia situated on a hill about 400 meters high. On one side, you could see the sea; descending the hill on the other side, you’d arrive straight into the Valle d’Itria, the region of the trulli.
Gigi became a carabiniere, a career that took him all over Italy, from the deep south to the far north.
She, on the other hand, was from Santa Maria Maggiore, a village about 800 meters above sea level in the Valle Vigezzo, in Piedmont. Mountains, chalets, unspoiled nature. Following the valley in one direction, you’d find yourself crossing into Switzerland, near Lake Maggiore. In the other direction you reached Domodossola, which was considered the gateway to Italy.
The garrison in Santa Maria Maggiore was small, just like the village itself. Every new recruit among the carabinieri was carefully “inspected” by the locals, especially the young women. The tall, dark southerner didn’t go unnoticed. It was love at first sight – a lightning strike of the heart.
I regularly travel south to Selva and north to Santa. In a straight line, the birthplaces of Gigi and Ninì are about 1,000 kilometers apart. And I wonder: was it simply love between two young people, or did they also find in each other’s surroundings something that reminded them of home?
come a casa
Dev’essere stato nei primi anni ’50 quando Gigi e Ninì si sono conosciuti.
Lui era cresciuto a Selva di Fasano, una frazione della Puglia situata su una collina alta circa 400 metri. Da un lato si poteva vedere il mare, mentre scendendo la collina dall’altro lato si arrivava direttamente nella Valle d’Itria, la regione dei trulli.
Gigi diventò carabiniere, una scelta che lo portò a girare tutta l’Italia, dal profondo sud all’estremo nord.
Lei invece veniva da Santa Maria Maggiore, un paese situato a circa 800 metri di altitudine nella Valle Vigezzo, in Piemonte. Montagne, baite, natura incontaminata. Seguendo la valle da un lato, si arrivava automaticamente in Svizzera, sul Lago Maggiore. D’altra parte, Domodossola era considerata la porta d’Italia.
La caserma di Santa Maria Maggiore era piccola, proprio come il paese stesso. Ogni nuova leva dei carabinieri veniva attentamente “ispezionata” dagli abitanti del posto, soprattutto dalle ragazze. Il meridionale, alto e scuro, non passò inosservato. Fu amore a prima vista. Un vero colpo di fulmine.Vado regolarmente al sud, a Selva, e al nord, a Santa. In linea d’aria, i luoghi d’origine di Gigi e Ninì distano circa 1.000 chilometri l’uno dall’altro. E mi chiedo: si trattava solo di amore tra due giovani oppure trovavano nell’ambiente dell’altro qualcosa che ricordava loro casa?
net als thuis
Het moet ergens vroeg in de jaren vijftig zijn geweest toen Gigi en Ninì elkaar leerden kennen.
Hij groeide op in Selva di Fasano, een gehucht in Puglia op een heuvel, zo’n 400 meter hoog. Aan de ene kant uitzicht op zee, de andere kant voerde heuvelaf regelrecht de Valle d’Itria in. Streek van de ‘trulli’.
Hij werd marechausse, wat hem heel Italië deed kennen, van het diepe zuiden tot het hoge noorden.
Zij kwam uit Santa Maria Maggiore, een dorp op een hoogte van zo’n 800 meter in de Valle Vigezzo in Piemonte. Bergen, baita’s. Volgde je het dal naar de ene kant, dan kwam je vanzelf in Zwitserland uit, het Lago Maggiore. Aan de andere kant was Domodossola de poort naar Italië.
De kazerne in Santa Maria Maggiore was klein, net zoals het dorp zelf. De militairen werden bij elke nieuwe lichting ‘gekeurd’ door de plaatselijke bevolking. Vooral door de meiden. De lange donkere zuiderling bleef niet onopgemerkt. En het klikte. Meteen.
Regelmatig ga ik naar het zuiden, Selva. En naar het noorden, Santa. In vogelvlucht liggen de geboortegronden van Gigi en Ninì zo’n 1000 kilometer uit elkaar. En ik vraag me af: was het enkel liefde tussen twee jonge mensen, of vonden ze ook iets herkenbaars van thuis terug in de omgeving van de ander?
ron roelandt 