Who rules Lecce?

Who rules Lecce?

This thorny question has been widely discussed on Thursday 30th April in Palazzo Nervegna, Brindisi.






















The event is organised by the association SinP (Sociologia in Progress).







The opportunity is given by the recent book Il salotto invisibile. Chi ha il potere a Lecce? written by Valentina Cremonesini, Stefano Cristante and Mariano Longo, sociologists who teach at Università del Salento.

Beside the authors, it is invited the deputy mayor of Brindisi, Giuseppe Marchionna.
















The moderator is Francesco Gioffredi, a young but sharp journalist who works for Nuovo Quotidiano di Puglia.






The mentioned book is the result of three years of work, where the researchers have used the typical methods of social research such as the interview.

In other words, this book portrays the perception of power of people who live in Lecce.

Valentina Cremonesini begins saying: “this work has been done by a team of researchers named <<smallville>>, which echoes the cult book Middletown, written by Robert Staughton Lynd and Helen Merrell Lynd, husband-and-wife sociologists".




She continues: “Lecce is a conservative city, which does not acknowledge different ways of doing things.

Let us see how Roberto Cingolani, innovative researcher in nanotechnology, has been treated in Lecce. He had to leave Lecce. Actually, Cingolany leads the CNR of Genoa.

“Of course” the sociologist adds: “this doesn’t imply just a bad connotation. Indeed, whereas Taranto and Brindisi have almost jeopardised their land due to the steel industry (Taranto) and chemical one (Brindisi), Lecce has preserved its territory by refusing any big and polluting factory”.





According to Stefano Cristante, this book is sparking debate in Lecce. Indeed, 10 articles of
newspapers have already been published because of the extreme importance of the topic.






He says: “In Lecce the warfare class has never taken place. Because of the lack of both working class and entrepreneurial bourgeoisie.”

Mariano Longo adds: “the law replaced the medieval relation between Lord and serfs. However, nowadays the patronage system is endemic in the south as well as in the whole country”.





Since after the II world war, the key sector of Lecce has been building industry.

Nevertheless, from the beginning of 2000, the local politicians devise a touristic future for Lecce, of which have benefit mainly the middle class by opening B&Bs.

The deputy mayor of Brindisi recalls the old times in which people of Lecce used to envy Brindisi due to its sparkling life. Now it is the opposite. Brindisi seems suffering of identity crisis.

Therefore, it’s needed a ruling class with a new vision for Brindisi.

For instance, I propose to stop car traffic in the city centre, leaving it to pedestrians and cyclists.

This would definitely enhance the appeal of Brindisi.  

The Maria's colours

A couple of days ago, I have received an e-mail about a paintings exhibition in Maglie (Lecce), which will start today at 5.30 pm.

The artist is Maria Jose Garcia.

She comes from Guadalajara, close to Madrid.

Maria works in Brindisi within the United Nations Logistic Base.

So, I e-mail Maria asking her if she would be interested in being interviewed for In Apulia.

She accepts without hesitation.

Therefore, we arrange to meet up near the canteen within the UN base.

Once there, we introduce each other.

I am struck by her eyes: bright as the colours of her paintings.

I explain her the mission of my blog.

However, I wish to find out more about her passion for painting. 

“I have been living in Amsterdam for 14 years” she says.

“I had great time there. Nevertheless, I have never got used to the darkness of that latitude”.

“I adore to paint the nature” Maria says. “Usually, I take a picture of the subject, then, I paint it”.

Talking about the History of Art, Maria likes very much the Post-Impressionism movement

The below painting is an example.

Additionally, Maria loves Sorolla, Van Gogh and Gauguin.

Maria lives in Lecce.

“When I ride my bicycle” Maria adds “it hurts me to see plastic and rubbish around the countryside. 

It is a shame to ruin such a fantastic landscape. In The Netherlands there was more respect for the environment”.

Concerning the disease which is affecting the olive trees in Salento, caused by Xylella, Maria wishes that a remedy will be soon found in order to tackle the spreading of it.

It is almost time to come back to work.

We leave the canteen with the strong feeling that we have had a nice chat.

So, feel free to come to Maglie and have a chat with Maria Jose Garcia.

The exhibition will be held in the "F. Capece" gallery in Maglie, from the 28th of March till the 6th of April. 

Opening hours: 5.30 - 9 pm

Basilica di Santa Caterina di Alessandria

Yesterday, on Saturday evening, I went to Galatina to see the Basilica of Santa Caterina di Alessandria.

This Basilica is a pure artistic jewel set in hearth of Salento.

To describe the immense beauty of this church, the local Municipality has invited Philippe Daverio, an acclaimed art critic.

Philippe Daverio has become famous since his TV format called Passepartout, in which he travels around Italy and the world talking about art.

Philippe Daverio was invited yesterday to hold a lectio magistralis.

The art critic spoke yesterday in a crowded church.

Actually, I have listened to him outside the church with 200 more people. Fortunately, loud speakers had been set.

"We care for our cultural heritage much more than we did 30 years ago" Philippe started off.

"This Romanic-Gothic church has unique frescos. Artists from the north of Italy, mainly from Tuscany have come to Galatina to fresco the French illuminated manuscripts." 

"Some of those artists were inspired by the Giotto's principles, then applied to the Basilica di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria".

In terms of vastness of Middle-Age frescos, the Basilica di Santa Caterina is second just to the
Basilica di San Francesco d'Assisi

The Basilica was commissioned by Raimondo Orsini del Balzo, after having returned from one of his several crusades.

The church has been built up at the end of the 13th century, on a preexisting Byzantine church.

Raimondo Orsini Del Balzo supported the Angevins (French), who ruled the Vatican and the South of Italy.

Philippe Daverio said yesterday: "Europe should be more aware of the importance played by Italy within the Mediterranean scenario. The Basilica di Galatina is just suggesting us that the European foreign policy should be modified."

In other words, Apulia as well as the rest of the Bel paese, has since forever been in touch with the North Africa and the middle East.

Therefore, please let's be aware once for all, that the Apulian cultural heritage belongs not just to Italy, but to the entire world.

By the way, the etymology of Galatina comes from the Greek gala-galactos, which means "milk". This etymology probably originated from the local milk and cheese production. 

I have ended up my Saturday night in Galatina coming accross an old friend of mine, Gianni, and his wife.

Good art to everyone

Ciao

PS.

Should you wish to view more pics, please click here

An Englishman at "La Notte della Taranta"

It is less than one month since we went to Melpignano, south of Lecce.

Melpignano is located in an area of the Lecce province called Grecia Salentina.

People there speak Griko, a variant of Greek.

We went there the 23^rd of August to attend the latest night of the itinerant festival La Notte della Taranta.

La Notte della Taranta is one of greatest folk festival in Europe.

The music played there is pizzica, which has Greek influence.

Aaron is from Bristol, in the UK.

He came to Brindisi, south of Apulia, in July 2013 to work.

He loves music, he likes very much music festival.

Last year I promised him: “I will take you to Melpignano at La Notte della Taranta, an amazing folk festival.”.

Mervyn, a funny friend of ours from London joined us.

The 23^rd of August 2013 we were in Melpignano.

I still remember their faces when they saw the huge crowd under the stage, filling the entire square.

Almost 30.000 people dancing and singing.

I consider it a bath of energy, pure energy.

Mervyn was supposed to come this year as well. Unfortunately, he could not make it.

 So Aaron and I went there again this year, to celebrate what seems to me a therapeutic rite.

Aaron, I, Lucia and her friends from Milan have been this year at La Notte della Taranta.

I asked Aaron:“Why do you like this music festival”. He replied: “because it is so trivial”.

Aaron has been dancing the entire night. He has even bought a tamburello.

Then, at the end of the night he comes to me and says: “do you know why I really like this festival?

Because it makes me think that I have to let it go” I have never understood very well what he meant.

But I guess he meant something personal, something which belongs to his own story.

Aaron will go back to UK soon.

His life experience in Apulia has almost come to an end.

I wish you all the best, dude.

I'm sure that I will see you next year in August, of course at Notte della Taranta.

Lecce, capital of Apulian Baroque

Lecce is one of the Apulian cities which tourists seem to be fond of.

Yesterday, I went to Lecce at Notte della Taranta, a folk music itinerant festival.

However, on the 23^rd of August, the latest, huge concert of Notte della Taranta festival will be held in Melpignano, close to Lecce.

Notte della Taranta is one of the most popular folk music concerts in Europe.

Every year, the concert in Melpignano attracts almost 50.000 people.

It is a joyful party, where people free their spirit by dancing the Pizzica, a faster version of tarantella.

So, let’s come back to Lecce.

Lecce is a magnificent city, a candidate to be European capital of culture 2019.

It is located in Salento, area which encompasses the province of Lecce, Brindisi and partially Taranto.

The Baroque in Lecce is joyful.

Baroque, influenced by the Spanish Plateresque style, took place between the 16^th and 17^th century, after the battle of Lepanto.

The battle of Lepanto sanctions the end of the Ottoman threat to Europe.

The local upper class, in order to show its status, financed the constructions of new buildings and churches. 

Additionally, buildings already existing, were renewed with Baroque motifs.

The workforce was directed by two great local architects: Giuseppe Zimbalo and Giuseppe Cino.

One additional peculiarity of the local Baroque is due to pietra leccese, the local stone.

The pietra leccese  is easy to work with.

An additional peculiarity is its warm color.

The film industry has played a key role to the success of Salento, of which Lecce is the main city.  

Edoardo Winspeare is the filmmaker of movies set in Salento like pizzicata, Sangue vivo, il miracolo and Galantuomini.

These movies portray a society with a strong connection between the past and the present.

The soundtruck of his movies is obviously the pizzica.

Pizzica, which will be celebrated at Notte della Taranta in Melpignano on the 23^rd of August.

Let’s meet up there, then.

If you wish to view more pics, please click here

Galatina: the hearth of tarantismo

The 29th of June 2014, I went to Galatina for the celebration of St. Peter and Paul.

According to the tradition, those who were bitten by the tarantula used to go to the St. Paul's chapel in Galatina.

The therapeutic band was there waiting for them.

As soon the music begun to be played, the pizzicati (bitten), mostly women, started jumping, running, dancing, and eventually, collapsed on the ground.

Everything occurred under the supervision of the two miraculous Saints.

The goal was that the poison inoculated by the tarantula would have been got rid of by a very intense sweating.









An old man whom I met in Galatina, said: "the pizzicati were brought to the chapel by horse-car."

He adds: "this event was very popular till the 80s.

Then, with the fading of rural culture, women and men abandoned this custom.".

Over the last years, the Municipality of Galatina supported by the local club Unesco, hold a pantomime to recall the tradition.

Let us say that the pizzica, a therapeutic folk music has a hysterical rhythm.

Pizzica is part of that big family which goes under the name of tarantella.

Tarantella is a key element of the culture of Southern Italy.

If you wish to see more pictures, please click here