SimoneFerrazzano

First Name

Simone

Last Name

Ferrazzano

Birthday

15/12/1995

Country (nationality)

Italy

Name of my Village Host initiative

Agromonte Il Paese degli Indovinelli

Village Host initiative website

http://www.prolocolatronico.com

Street/Square/... name of my Village Host initiative

Vico VI Provinciale, 2

Postal code of my Village Host initiative

85043

City/Village/... of my Village Host initiative

Agromonte Magnano- Latronico (PZ)

Country of my Village Host initiative

Italy

Who benefits from my project is:

I am part of a group of young people who have decided to get involved in the development of our village, Agromonte (municipality of Latronico–PZ–Basilicata). “Agromonte, the village of riddles” is a project involving boys and girls between the ages of 20 and 35, each with their own skills and coming from different parts of Italy and Europe, where they live for study or work. All these young people are joined by a common thread: the love for their land, their origins, and the attempt to create interest in their territory. Not only young people but all generations of the “agromontese” community are involved more or less directly in the project. In particular, we cannot forget the importance of the elders who are the real protagonists of the project as they are the ones who have transmitted to us an invaluable linguistic-cultural heritage.

How it will be implemented is:

“Agromonte, the village of riddles” is the initiative with which a group of young people from Agromonte (municipality of Latronico (PZ)-Basilicata) wants to enhance the local language, thanks to the recovery and collection of “Cose Cuselle,” dialect riddles told by grandparents to children over the years. In fact, aware that the local language is a trademark of communities and that it is essential to preserve it, we decided to launch this project to prevent the heritage represented by the “Cose Cuselle” from being lost. The riddles are the symbol of the passage of traditions from the older generations to the young, who, thanks to word of mouth, will maintain and develop the local culture. Not only the natives but also all tourists visiting the territory will help disseminate this valuable knowledge. In fact, the itinerary aims to be a tourist attraction for those who want to live a unique experience discovering the culture and traditions of an authentic Italian community located in the Pollino National Park, today considered the largest protected area in Italy.
The project also aims to link the local language with art. In fact, the riddles, strictly in dialect, are painted by local artists on ceramic panels and are posted on the walls of houses to beautify the village streets. In this way, a small town, that becomes more and more desolate every year due to depopulation and thus the abandonment of houses, will be made unique and embellished by ceramic panels decorated by local artists.
The first panel was affixed on January 17, 2021, and three years later there are 40 panels throughout the village. The goal is to display more than 100 riddles so that tourists can spend a long time walking the streets and trying to solve them.
Facilitating comprehension is a QR code with the solution to the riddle, its translation into Italian and English, and an explanation. In addition, each riddle associated with the QR code will be linked to an audio of the authentic dialect version of the riddle, recited by locals.
We believe that through our traditions and cultural roots, our community can find the starting point for rethinking the future, and the fact that international associations such as the International Center for Dialectology (CID) have expressed their interest in our project for preserving the local language makes us proud and realize that it is worth to continue.