The Reunion was held over three days in three neighbouring villages – Villa
Santa Lucia, Carrufo and Ofena, with each location offering something
different. Unfortunately we missed the first day’s event in Ofena
because our bus arrived a half hour prior to the event starting. It had rained
all day and when we arrived it was a torrential down-pore and we got soaked
looking for someone to give us a ride to Ofena. Ofena has a wine
industry and therefore visitors experienced a taste of their local wines and a
history of the region. Day 2 was in Villa
and the official picnic day. Unfortunately it started to rain at noon and the
event moved into the Municipal Hall where we were given a history of the region
and a video presentation of Villa’s history. There were also tours of the
cemetery for those looking for their ancestral graves. The day’s event was
concluded with a hosted reception with a variety of pastries prepared by the
local community. The last day was hosted by Carrufo, which started with a
guided walk around the village, which included a visit to Michael Buble’s
grandmother’s house. This was followed with an outdoor mass at La Croce.
Carrufo hosted a fantastic party with local foods that included a roast pig and
local wines, and sangria prepared by Gianni Mariani (our B&B host). The party
concluded at approximately 9pm, but a few remaining people made their way to a
local resident’s house where the party continued, with a spaghetti dinner and
more wine. Overall, regardless of the rain, the Abruzzo Homecoming Weekend was
a success and I’m sure most in attendance learned more about their
heritage.
There were some new information I learned
during this visit. A
key reason for returning to Villa Santa Lucia was to connect with relatives and
learn a little more about my heritage. Much to my regret I did not pursue this
objective earlier in life – always too busy with work and family, and putting
it off until I had more time. Unfortunately my mother passed away quickly in 2009
hence my key information source disappeared. Therefore the visit to Villa was
essential to conclude my search for information and to put closure to my
curiosity. I also wanted to learn more about those other Aburzzesi who left
Villa and about those who returned.
I’d like to
start by discussing our family house in Villa Santa Lucia. Julie and I had
dinner with Saverio, the current owner of our family house and he was able to
provide a description of the process and challenges he indured acquiring
various properties. He purchased a total
of three properties; all attached, and joined them to create one larger home.
Our home was the main building structure, with the remaining two attachments.
One attached property was destroyed by neglect by the prior owner – with the
roof and wall collapsed. Saverio began his project in 1992, and 20 years later
he is close to completion, and it is an amazing transformation. He also bought
land in Carrufo where he planted grape vines and began the renovation of the
cellars in his Villa home to accommodate the equipment needed to process his own
wine. Again, he has done an amazing job, which included the purchase of stainless
steel wine press and tanks, and built a wine cellar to house the wine from
various years. We got to taste his 2011 wine that was still in the barrel and
ready for bottling. It was delicious!
Saverio
described that in the early to mid 1900s there were approximately 3000
residents, with multiple families living in a single dwelling, and therefore
the wave of immigrants that went to Canada and other parts of the world was
beneficial to Villa because it thinned out the population, and when they
returned they could afford their own home. There were two waves of immigrants –
one around 1900, which was when Papa Luigi came to Canada to work and when he
returned he was able to purchase his home.
It is unclear when the house was purchased, but Saverio did find
carvings on wood beams with “LM 08/31/1928”) that probably belong to my
grandfather Luigi Mazziotti. This is the house where my mother and dad lived
after getting married and where we lived prior to immigrating to Canada in
1956. The second wave of immigration took place after WII. Except this time
very few returned. Hence the population was devastated, and today there are
between 100-200 residents. In the second wave there was very little to come
back to, and many immigrants had established communities in their new country.
This was the case in Vancouver and I’m sure in other communities. However, those that immigrated to European
countries had an advantage because of the proximity to Villa. My own cousins
Victoria and Evenia, who live in Paris and Pescara are able to come back to
Villa every year during July and August.
