Far From The Madding Crowd in Civitella Casanova

A moment of quiet reflection and contemplation is always a good activity, especially when your life is at times dominated by a computer screen of some sort.  In this age of constant distraction that we live in, it is of vital importance to take some quality time out.  To have a glimpse of the past,  can be quite therapeutic and re-energising.

A Chance Encounter
Earlier yesterday I visited a small village in Abruzzo, very near to my home, Civitella Casanova, located less than 10 minutes away by car.  We chanced upon an old pathway as we were walking into the centre towards the market.  I said to K, "Come on, let's see where this leads!"  The thrill of not knowing where this path would take us, was like stepping into a mini adventure.

There was no signpost at the top to indicate what we would find at the bottom of the steps.

 We descended into a quiet haven, a world dating back to the 18th century, leading to two historic fountains, which had been renovated.  We were both amazed that this veritable piece of history was tucked away in a hidden corner of the village. 

 Once there, we spent some time reading the poster board which revealed facts of the renovation work carried out on the fountains by the village authorities.

Flashback to the Past
The image of my grandmother as a young girl walking 10 kilometres from her village to the nearest fountain to collect water for the family, flashed through my mind. She would do so on a regular basis, carrying a big traditional copper water pot called a "conca" on her head.

Below is a detail from a free picture which came with a recent copy of Il Centro, the local Pescara newspaper.  It shows the Fontana Caruso in Roseto degli Abruzzi, in the early 1900s, with the women at the fountain waiting to collect their water.  You can see two of the "concas".

Here is another detail from the same free picture of a woman with a conca on her head.  This could easily have been my grandmother, or my mother and other female relatives..

Below the complete picture given away for free from Il Centro.  I will be putting it in a special frame, as it is a wonderful memory of the past tradition of the "conca" at the fountain.

Formidible Abruzzese Women
 My grandmother's life was hard and she lacked a proper education, but she was a very intelligent woman. She is one of my all-time great heroines in life, and is one of the Formidable Abruzzese Women that I have written about on this blog.

Losing Oneself
The silence in this little area today touched me, and made me realise that quiet contemplation nowadays is not something I do regularly.  I should do this more often.  Lose myself in the past, remember how life used to be, "far from the madding crowd"....

A Natural Born Fighter

The sooner I can get to England by any means possible, the better. A very important reason is embedded below.

Mamma Mia!

Mia mamma, Anna Lucia Bianchini, has defied all the proverbial odds to survive her horrendous and life-threatening brain injury sustained in a bicycle accident on February 25th 2009. She is now back home after 154 long and worrying days. I was in England for 100 of those days to provide moral and physical support to my family. My mother was strong enough to pull through those critical weeks in the Intensive Care Unit at the JR Hospital, Oxford. We will be forever grateful to all the doctors and nurses there who helped my mother towards the next stage of her recovery. The care she received at Isis House was fantastic and the final stage of her rehabilitation at the Oxford Centre for Enablement was second to none.

The Healing Power of Time
With expert care and help, guidance and treatment over the 5 months, mia cara mamma seems to be nearly back to her old self. Of course, after serious brain injury, fatigue is a big problem and my mother now requires a lot of rest periods throughout the day. Pre-accident, rest was definitely not a word in her vocabulary! She was a whirlwind of activity, multi-tasking cheerfully and the centre of our universe. Memory loss is another big challenge. There are sections of my mother's life which have been literally wiped out. She has had to relearn how to walk, think, move, react and essentially "be". The healing power of time, however, knows no bounds and I hope that eventually, things will get easier. Like the picture of the bright moon taken by K from our balcony the other night, the usual cycle of life will carry on and my mother will shine ever brightly to illuminate our lives once more.


A Happy Birthday
In August, shortly after leaving the excellent OCE Rehabilitation Centre, we were able to celebrate my mother's birthday in style and the photo above shows my parents together at long last. It was indeed a special day for all of us.

A Formidable Abruzzese Woman
My mother is a worthy candidate of the strictly limited membership of the Formidable Abruzzese Women's Club. The Wordle below sums up the reason why.

A Huge Thank You
On behalf of my father and my sisters, I would like to say a very BIG thank you to all family members, friends, carers, hospital-support staff, colleagues and well-wishers who helped us throughout this difficult period of our lives. Without your moral support, kind wishes, thoughts and prayers and most of all, practical help, this story may not have had such a hope-inspiring conclusion. We appreciate your help enormously.

My mum on Sunday August 2nd in Marilena and Paul's beautiful garden in Oxford.

Formidable Abruzzese Women

Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of my beloved grandmother's death. She passed away on Good Friday, April 10th 1989. The story of the stoical 98-year-old women who escaped from the Aquila rubble a few days ago brought back vivid memories of my amazing gran. I would like to take this opportunity on my blog to recount her life history.


Natalina di Francesco was born on Christmas Eve 1896 in the village of Valle Sentatto, Provincia Teramo in Abruzzo. Her parents were farmers and they worked for a big landowner called Savini. Natalina's life was hard and she did not have the chance to go to school at all. Despite not having an education, my grandmother was a highly intelligent woman with a great depth of knowledge about life. She would cook for up to 30 family members on a daily basis as well as tending to animals,"parare le pecore" and looking after her children.

Awesome Strength
Natalina married Luigi Bianchini after her sister died in childbirth. She inherited 5 small children and then had 3 sons, one of whom is my father, Emidio. In 1936 my grandfather died tragically young in a horse and cart accident at the age of 43. My grandmother was left a widow with 8 young children to look after. With true grit and determination she managed to deal with and overcome adversity in her stride. She dressed in the traditional dark colours as a sign of mourning for her beloved husband for the rest of her life. You can see Luigi's face in the locket she wore until her death.

A Change of Country
At the age of 61 Natalina left her beloved Abruzzo to begin a new life in Oxford, England. She lived with us for over 30 years. She had a good life and she was well looked after by her family. I was brought up by my grandmother in true Italian family tradition while my parents went out to work. She always used to prepare the "sugo" ready for my mother to use for dinner at night. Her special "sugo" was made up of the following ingredients:

• garlic
• tomatoes
• tomato puree
• olive oil
• herbs

Strong Willed
My gran was the most stubborn person I have ever met in my life and I am proud to say that I have followed in her footsteps. This inherited trait has stood me in good stead over the years! She never gave up during difficult times and this helped her to overcome the many hardships she faced when she was younger.

San Gabriele dell'Addolorata
Natalina was also a God-fearing woman who prayed fervently every day with her rosary in hand. She prayed to "La Madonna" and her favourite saint was Saint Gabriel. I still have a 20-year-old photo of San Gabriele which I carry around with me. My mother has a big picture of the saint in her new room as well.

A Fulfilling Life
Natalina Bianchini passed away peacefully in her sleep at the grand old age of 93. She was surrounded by family members who had flown in from around the world. She had lived life to the full and her ethos of life was exemplary. She was kindhearted, honest, altruistic, passionate and faithful. Everybody loved her and looked up to her. She will always live on in my memory.