Brindisi di Montagna
For many people the view of il Mezzogiorno, the south of
Italy, is that you must sta attenti (watch out) and be always on your guard
because “Basilicata is the land of brigands”. Yeah, whatever! We always passed off such derogatory comments
as uninformed.
It turns out, there are brigands in Basilicata, and they put
on one helluva performance. Every weekend from the end of July through
mid-September the era of i briganti comes to life at La Grancia outside tiny
Brinidisi di Montagna.
In a huge open-air, natural amphitheater below town is Il
Parco Storico La Grancia, a multi-venue historical theme park with six areas
for education, theatre, music and art. There is Il Borgo, a sort of Lucanian
frontier-town where artisans in period costumes demonstrate traditional crafts,
and -this being Italy-there are several stands and restaurants where you can eat
locally-produced delicacies that would have been served during the brigantaggio
years, the late 1800s. Music and dance performances are designed to reflect the
area’s particular history and culture.
But the main event of this park is La Storia Bandita, a
grand production dubbed as a “cinespettacolo”. It is a beautiful blending of
impassioned live performance, dramatically-devised video projection, and
astounding special effects, utilizing the bare cliff wall opposite and the
ruins of the 11th century castle perched above Brindisi. Seriously, this is one
amazing show.
Interestingly, La Storia Bandita means “the history of the
bandits” but could also be translated as “banned history”. It is a clever word
play for the period when many Lucani felt that their culture and history had
been marginalized, trivialized and tyrannized. Tired of invasions and overly
dominating landowners that kept them poor, oppressed and disillusioned, the
period of the Risorgimento (the unification of Italy) proved to be a flashpoint
for many southern peasants who joined together and formed a band of bandits.
They became known as i briganti.
La Storia Bandita tells a dramatized version of this period,
focusing on the charismatic leader of the pack, Carmine Crocco, who was called
the ‘General of the Briganti’. From events in his childhood and disillusionment
with the unification forces, the story shows how and why the briganti took
things into their own hands to protect their lands and traditions.
The production is astounding, with hundreds of participants
in an all-volunteer cast and crew. Dance and music reflect the rural Lucanian
life at the time. Crocco authored an autobiography and some of his rousing
prose is movingly recited. But the effects! When the forces invade, the castle
is set aflame. Gunfire echoes loudly in the canyon and the flashes illuminate
the mountain formations. Images are projected behind the set on the rock. A
waterwall shoots up in a stirring finale.
You don’t have to understand much Italian to follow the
show. The performances play it all out before your eyes, unfolding in the
peasant village, as well as tents and caves, representing how the briganti had
to hide out in the hills. This is a show worth seeing.
WHAT: La Storia Bandita, a live performance utilizing special
effects, the hundreds of people who comprise the cast and crew are all
volunteers.
WHERE: Il Parco Storico La Grancia, Brindisi di Montagna
(Potenza Province). It is located just off the Basentana superstrada.
WHEN: Every weekend from the end of July through
mid-September
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.