© 2010 Paul Forte
By Alfonso Forte, son of Carmine Forte and Emilia Magliocco First Brief Encounter
From the early to mid nineteen thirties and beyond many second generation Italians returned to Casalattico to holiday and visit their relatives living there. They travelled by boat and train and a few by motor car.(air travel was not affordable and may not have even been an option at that time). September and October were the favoured months as many were involved in seasonal businesses and many festas were celebrated around this time of the year. There was no electricity and no running water and not even calor gas. Bathrooms and toilets were a rarity. Life was primitive by today's standards. The dusty roads and streets were unmade and uneven and in places covered by a sprinkling of brown pellets, excrement from the sheep and goats, as well as dung from the donkeys. It was a rural backwater populated by sheep, goats, cows, pigs, chickens and horses. Many donkeys were attired with twin baskets. Any fertile ground was under the plough, or used for horticulture and other areas were used to graze animals. Tractors, strimmers and agro-machinery were invisible. The local population was already in decline and ageing through the mass emigration of the early 20th century. The sight of visitors with their Northern European dress was in stark contrast to the shabby dress of the locals and the black garb of ageing widows. Some of the elderly females were lame and hobbling about and many had facial hair and lumps on their wrinkled faces giving them a grotesque appearance. Sunday was more or less considered to be a day of rest and even the locals would have been in their Sunday best as they herded into church. (I had occasion to sample this on my first visit to Mortale in 1950 and it was like a scene from the 18th century, for time had stood still). visitors to this site |