Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th May - Stefania's interesting life

Monday 13th & Tuesday 14th.

Monday was a ‘monsoon’ day when it rained heavily almost all day. So, after breakfast, we sat around talking for a while until lunch time when we had a great spaghetti with mushrooms and then an afternoon nap. At around 4.30 p.m. We drove with Stefania and Bruno to the Megalo supermarket shopping mall where Stefania wanted to buy some shoes. Adore browsing the stores we stopped for an ‘aperitif’ which consisted of an Aperol spritz and some small snacks such as small sandwiches, olives, beans, and some other small items. This was very nice indeed. Then we walked a bit more and ended up at Fratelli DI Buffalo which is a pizza place which specializes in buffalo mozzarella.

This whiled away time in the awful weather.

Tuesday 14th May was a little better weather wise and after breakfast we went into Pescara with Stefania. She needed to run some errands there and also Bruno needed to be at the apartment to await the delivery of a new mattress which he had ordered. As we drove into the city we passed the river which was swollen, muddy and full of floating debris as a result of the heavy rains of the last few days.

We arrived at a small street near the river and the D’annunzio Bridge and walked the short distance to the Folklife Museum of Abruzzo which is called ‘Museo Delle Genti D’Abruzzo’. This is a wonderful museum which outlines both the history and the life of the people of Abruzzo. The history is from prehistoric times through Roman times through the Bourbons, to the modern day and then the crafts, activities and lives of the population through those times with wonderful displays of the farming, sheep-herding, living quarters, clothing, pottery, weaving, etc. The main agriculture was sheep farming and to some extent this persists. Wool was produced and woven into blankets and carpets, the meat was eaten in the form of the Omni-present ‘arrosticini’ which is lamb on small wooden skewers and is simply delicious. The tools and implements were on display and many, many wonderful old photos of the adults and children over many years. The hard life of the shepherds was very evident and one of the small stone huts which they used for shelter in the hills was on display. This is a very well put together museum with excellent artifacts and good commentary, much of which, though not all, is also in English.

We arrived at the apartment overlooking the very rough sea.

Soon we were eating lunch of spaghetti and ‘gamberi’ or shrimp which was delicious. 

Then we took off to pick up somethings from the Post Office and then off to a small town not far to the north of Pescara called Atri. This is quite a compact little place right on top of a hill with magnificent views of the surrounding countryside and down to the sea beyond. Even in the misty weather this is a sight to see. The streets are very narrow and we had some trouble getting a parking spot and navigating the streets, partly because there were men erecting colored lights for the festival which will take place on 20th May for three days. The festival is for St Rita. Eventually we found a spot to park and walked back to a nearby church of St Nicolas which is bare but very beautiful. Then on through the streets of the town which, for some reason seems to be the home of many places selling licorice and products made from it which are promoted as being very healthful. We stopped at one shop and the ineffable Stefania purchased enough licorice to feed a small army and then presented it to us!! I always thought that licorice was a laxative and if so, we should have few digestion problems for years!! We walked on through the town square which was also being decorated for the festival to come and then to the huge Cathedral which dates from the 13th Century, being consecrated in 1223 after being built over an older church the remains of which are visible in places. The church was added to over the years after consecration. It has a 50 meter high campanile which was added in the 15th century. The walls are full of frescoes and it is a very substantial building for a small town of this size. There is also a museum which contained reliquaries and a huge and magnificent collection of antique ceramics which were donated by a local doctor, Dr. Vincenzo Bindi. The museum has an extensive collection of wooden church furniture, paintings, sculptures, etc. It is most impressive.

We returned to the car for the trip back to Cugnoli and a light dinner!! After dinner, we persuaded Stefania to talk about her life and her parents. This she did with MAC translating her excited commentary of her mother’s life, her birth in this house on 29th. May 1944 and then her period of about 15 years living with her parents in Naples where she attended school and university achieving great grades and a degree in teaching a year early. She also told us the hilarious story of Bruno’s courting of her which took some quite unusual turns and which she rejected for a long time. Bruno who was 7 years older than her, was a successful attorney at a good firm in Naples. They first met at a party but it took a lot of persistence on Bruno’s part over many weeks and months to convince Stefania that he was the right match. She told us of her early teaching career and of being appointed to a school in Puglia, 300 kms from Naples where many of the students were immigrants and the weather in winter was very harsh. 

Eventually after much insistence, she married Bruno in July of 1968 when she was 24 and Bruno was 31. Later, she took a second degree which allowed her to choose the school she could teach in rather than, as before, being appointed to a school by the authorities. Bruno went on to change careers and become a professor of philosophy and later a Senator in the Italian Senate and a junior Government Minister in the Department of Health. 

On retiring from teaching, Stefania, despite opposition from Bruno and her two daughters wanted to concentrate on the development of the family home in Cugnoli and started the Agriturismo which is called 'La Fattoria di Maria Donata' (Maria Donata's Farm), which was where she was born and for which she has an absolute affinity. New buildings were constructed, a swimming pool added, the olive farm and oil  production developed and the farm is now a showplace. It accommodates up to 29 guests, mostly on a bed and breakfast basis but also half board is offered and Stefania hosts (and herself caters for),  large parties celebrating first communions, weddings and other events. The requirements of 'Agriturismo' designation are quite strict and insist that she uses local produce, practices ecological housekeeping and follows financial and environmental rules. She has since won many accolades for her stewardship of the farm and her hospitality.

Stefania’s father was an electrical engineer who built electrical plants and dams. Stefania was one of two children, her brother Angelo who is 4 years younger now lives in Naples with his wife and a son and a daughter. Later, her father separated from her mother and eventually married a much younger woman. Her father and mother never reconciled and at Stefania and Bruno’s wedding, they had to be in separate photos!! Her father then had two children a girl and a boy with his new wife so Stefania has two step-siblings. After some brief contact with the girl and a frosty meeting with the boy, she has not heard from them for a long time. 

Her father died of lung disease in 1994 and his new wife 15 days after him. Her mother died in the 1990’s after her health deteriorated and she was hospitalized.

This was a nice diversion for Stefania and fascinating for us to hear of the history of the family which seemed sadly to be punctuated by not so happy marriages of both parents and grandparents. It also seemed to be filled with very strong women who managed to raise great children despite very difficult circumstances. Stefania and Bruno, were for example, left to pay for and arrange their wedding entirely themselves due to their parents split and the other women in the family have often been left without income and means and have had to fend for their lives alone. Stefania's small book tells the stories of many of the strong women of Abruzzo, including her grandmother, Maria Donata, who were often left alone to work farms, bring up children and earn money. Their stories are seldom told. 

Stefania is very committed to La Fattoria di Maria Donata which has become an iconic house in the neighborhood due to the good works of Maria Donata herself during times of hardship when she helped and fed her neighbors. Bruno, being less of a country person, prefers Pescara.