The scent of thyme shrubs
The scent of thyme shrubs
La Masseria Radogna in memories of Madam Rita D'amato
Francesco Gatti
Anni fà , I had the privilege of knowing Mrs Rita D'amato, daughter of Teresa Radogna, the last descendant of the family that gave its name to the Masseria.
It was possible to, then, remember those years through the testimony of those who experienced them firsthand, years of an ancient Culture, on a human scale and the man still had respect.
Return to revive, with the look of memory, the moments of his childhood and youth, He lit his eyes of a reverberation of happiness.
And it was all a flow of memories.
His first regret is that he never made the photographs to remember those days.
The family spent their days in Masseria, all years, from May to September. Came with the carriage up to "Three Bridges" (at km 583 the Appian way) e proseguivano la salita che porta sulla Murgia a piedi. La strada era “tutte pietre” e il paesaggio murgiano di una bellezza ancora incontaminata.
In quella casa la madre, Teresa, you got her matrimonial while her outfit herself, Rita, spent his honeymoon.
Their doctor (Dr. Ridola, the archaeologist) the counseled to spend days in the open air "to get your appetite and avoid taking medicines.
After lunch, ate slices of bread with the "aromatic Arugula" and long walks, during which harvested herbs, Asparagus, the in and "the beautiful plants of Mallow"; with the flowers were the bunches while they breathed the scent by shrubs of thyme ".
When it rained, went to collect snails from.
Every morning the pastor – don Samuel Turi – He said mass in the chapel of S. Francesco da Paola, all’interno del cortile della Masseria. Arrivato con la mula, rimaneva sul posto per tutta la settimana, eating and sleeping with the inhabitants of the House.
The family was composed of parents and six children.
Slept together the woman upstairs service, While the priest slept downstairs, dove si mangiava e si cucinava. Sempre al piano di sopra, in uno stanzino, c’era il gabinetto. Nel casone “facevano la giuncata”* (a fresh cheese).
The families were friends with them traino; the carriage, most of the time, si fermava sul ponte sulla gravina (ai Tre Ponti) e si proseguiva la salita con la mulattiera.
Spent their days in the country even during the period of school and "were the themes".
The snow was a "very cold", where you kept bottles of wine and water, to keep them cool.
Vi si scendeva da un viottolo nei pressi della Masseria. Là vicino, in un recinto, allevavano i conigli.
Da quel giorno, non ho più rivisto la signora Rita. E’ stato, but, per me motivo di gioia sapere che, alcuni giorni dopo, accompagnata dai figli, è ritornata in quei posti che l’anno vista crescere e diventare adulta. There is back to relive those moments and refined fragrance of thyme and smells of his Murgia.
* Coagulated milk without salt which is used to let children among reeds and leaves of ferns. Constituted the first curd clot. Il casiero, servendosi di una schiumarola, asportava questo velo dalla superficie del liquido e lo deponeva in un recipiente, forming several layers separated by fern leaves freshly harvested in the undergrowth. It was considered a real delicacy to offer "great lords" to return from the transhumance. (by Massari and farms : forme del lavoro e cultura materiale in Lucania / Mimmo Cecere; pag. 96.
© Francesco Gatti 2004
