This article appeared in the book "Discovering the Master of Marradi" - Polistampa 2009, employing more hands Pedulli Livietta coordinated by Galeotti, who oversaw the organization and the research and wrote the text of biographical and critical 'artist.
This article talks about the "Badia (Badia del Borgo) and is divided into three parts:
- HISTORY
- FESTIVALS AND ASSOCIATIONS
- anecdotal and hearsay POPULAR VALLEY OF
La Badia, who is born, live there or lived there: history, traditions, festivals and anecdotes.
HISTORY. A Badia del Borgo Borgo Badia, or, more commonly to the Abbey, as it is called in Marradi, the people of yesterday and today feel united by their history of Vallombrosa monastery that dominated our region from the Middle Ages, the Napoleonic era with religious and economic activities.
In that long period of power and splendor of many important events have become history, art and economy .. Masterpieces by the Master of Marradi were born in the monastery. The oldest brotherhood of Mercy in the north-east of Florence was established here. The first of chestnut trees in the valley have been planted by monks in northern steep slopes, already occupied by wild forests, the same ones that were replaced by meadows, pastures and cultivated fields in the most suitable for agriculture of rotation. Perhaps the technique to produce the canary had its origin in the vicinity of the monastery. The Abbey has also seen strong immigration in the immediate postwar period (from 1948) especially the Molise that are integrated quickly and well, and have obtained this year by the municipality of Marradi the header of a road that will be called "Way of the Community Molise. The inhabitants of the valley are proud of this and preserve memories of a past that has generated a lot of festivals and traditions kept alive until the depopulation of our countryside has seen increasingly diminish popular participation. Just want to talk about all this because time is not clears its memory.
FESTIVALS and Associates. Religious holidays were frequent during the annual liturgical cycle, and they attended all the people, organized in various associations. The Confraternity of Mercy had to attend to the rites and processions to church at least six brothers, dressed in black cape and Biff (cap typical). La Compagnia del Sacramento was wearing a white tunic, cinched at the waist with cord, and a red cape, with its banner opened processions. The Pious Union of Christian mothers organized the women who participated in the processions, but did not wear any uniform. Their patron saint was St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine. Another body on Sunday and this for religious holidays was the Gregorian vocal group, made up of parishioners of all social and political views. The group settled in the choir loft above the choir and singing, usually a cappella, the Missa Angelorum. There was a low prevalence of baritones and atmosphere they created during the greek Orthodox rites.
In that period we witnessed the preaching of souls (the Sunday before Palm). The preachers were strangers and ascended the pulpit wooden altar on the right, warning the faithful tones Savonarola called on all to repent of their sins. In the week of Passion women wore several vases filled with plants (especially legumes and cereals), grown in hot and dark and place them before the altar of Our Lady. The so-called "tombs" were offering visitors a beautiful scene, special colors for albinos, the pale purple of beans and peas, chickpeas to pale yellow, white and gleaming matt grain barley and oats .. This technique of germination has pagan origins and was inspired by the gardens of Adonis in ancient Greece. The main parties
devotional of the Abbey were those of Madonna (the 1st Sunday in September) and Santa Reparata (8 October), which also explains the presence of the most beloved paintings by the faithful and the church of which he was proud.
The feast of the Virgin Mary still stands, although the Abbey has lost the status of parish the shortage of priests and the continuous decline of population. Until the 60s of last century, was celebrated at 11 S. Solemn Mass with Gregorian chant and music by Brisbane band in full regalia. After Mass, each family would take home a gang member and was a tradition to end the meal with a large watermelon that had been made into a refreshing spring or tank. The afternoon was a solemn procession with the painting of the Annunciation, which towers over the procession, carried on the shoulders of stalwart young and old still in force. The day concluded between stalls of sweets, drinks and various trinkets.
The feast of Santa Reparata was less formal but deeply felt by the faithful praying the patron as protector of pregnant women. Invocation of good luck and all women confirms this popular devotion: "Santa Reparata, that the output is as sweet as was the entrance." On that day forth, also from nearby places, pregnant women and mothers with children a few months to receive the blessing as the saint were entrusted with their offspring.
ANECDOTES OF THE POPULAR VALLEY and rumors. The valley of the Abbey is just seven kilometers long and is bathed by the Rio del Salto, which currently comes in the fields of Trebbiano and flows into the Lamone, passing through a tunnel under Marradi.
Despite the brevity of the basin, the valley is much broader converging toward the other because Marradi remote geological era Rio del Salto stood at 12 km from Marradi, below the pass of the Hermitage, with an abundant flow of water but, at the height of Trebbo, broke the left bank and became sub- Campigno tributary of the ditch. The current Rio del Salto is interwoven with the main road which is the underlying theme of many stories, told by our elders during the vigils.
Today someone said he admired the full moon, at the first curve Trebbo, just where does the river, a magnificent white horse, mysteriously, was never seen during the day. In the quarry
Campodavanti (6 km mark) appeared at night a calf headless, crossing the street suddenly disappearing into the river or in the woods above the quarry. In the 50s some villagers have reported that refugees, pale with fear, in the nearby farmhouse to have witnessed the apparition. On the pitch
Royal (5 km) there is a covered canal that conveys water from the stream Valdifiore in Rio. That point is called the step of the way of the goat, because it was said that during vigils across a goat bleating gray tones gruesome midnight and had the appearance of a ghost sheep.
In the street of the church, the one that comes from the churchyard to the bridge over the Rio, is set la storiella più nota: nel buio notturno tanti parrocchiani avrebbero incontrato Gabannone, il fantasma di un monaco condannato a fare solo la discesa, in quanto nessuno l’avrebbe mai visto salire.
La salita che porta alla Badia del Borgo. Qui scendeva il fantasma di Gabbanone, condannato ad andare sempre in giù ( ... non si sa come facesse ...) L’ultima fantasticheria popolare riguarda la croce di Valcampigno, sempre lungo la provinciale, poco sotto il passo della Badia: là c’era la manifestazione più paurosa, la figura di un giovane in veste bianca, un classico fantasma che poteva apparire a qualsiasi ora della notte, gridando per il dolore patito prima di morire. La tradizione People reports that he had been the victim of a terrible punishment inflicted on him by the monks, I'd
bBER passed secret tunnel in the dark, after opening the trap that knocked the victim in chopper pit filled with blades rotary irons and sharp.
Cross of Valcampigna
imagine how much fear had to suffer a traveler who departed at night for Marradi to walk up to Trebbo. If he had known all these stories, at least five times would have invoked the heavens and the pace accelerated. Those of the Abbey are well aware that until the 50's is often found in the middle of the night along the strada per tornare a casa con le proprie gambe e, anche in compagnia, la paura faceva sempre 90.
Concludiamo completando la storia del passaggio segreto in cui sarebbe morto il fantasma della croce di Valcampigno. Si dice che quel tunnel partisse dalle cantine, ancor oggi in funzione, collocate dietro l’abside della chiesa, e sfociasse poco lontano dalla casa delle Fornaci, bella costruzione tutt’oggi visibile lungo il Rio del Salto. Non ci sono documenti che provino l’antica esistenza della galleria e i motivi che portarono a costruirla. Però, dopo aver raccontato tante fantasticherie popolari intonate alla paura, proviamo a formulare un’ipotesi sul passaggio segreto con spirito rinascimentale. Il toponimo “Le Fornaci” assumes that in that place there was a brick kiln and the firing of marl to produce lime. Since any piece of news reminds us that in the 16th century an English carp, in our own territory, to the monks of the place, the secret formula to produce the canary, we may deduce that the tunnel would lead to a hidden place where they produced the precious material, which belongs to the category of old cement.
In the valley of the Abbey were few inhabitants. There are herds of grazing animals until the '60s that dotted the green hills and slopes that were taken at dusk to the river for water, pairs of cows Romagna not pull the plow more sotto il sole settembrino o l’erpice per le semine autunnali. Non si va più a veglia nei casolari lontani, portando un bastone acceso per illuminare i bui sentieri del ritorno a mezzanotte. Sono rimasti tanti ricordi e tanta nostalgia per quei tempi vissuti in pace con se stessi e con i vicini lungo tanti decenni che scorrevano secondo le leggi della natura, prima che il mondo si mettesse a correre troppo in fretta verso mete imposte da misteriosi registi che non ci danno più le emozioni del mistero della vita, ma solo paure e noia.
Caterina GRAZIANI e Antonio MOFFA
10 classes in the Library 20:30 to 22:30 
