A volume, “Verteneglio. Memories, faces and traditions of an Istrian community” written by David di Paoli Paulovich, comparable to a treasure chest rich not only in stories, traditions, music and memories, but also in experiences, testimonies and collections of research that will surely enrich not only libraries and archives, but also the historical and cultural baggage of the inhabitants of the territory, as everyone can find in it a piece of history of their family, their habits or simply memories that now surely will not be lost in the oblivion of time. The volume, published by the Association of Istrian Communities of Trieste, of which the author is president, thanks to ministerial funds ex law 72/2001, was presented in the spaces of the Italian Community of Verteneglio where the mayor Neš Sinožić and Elena Barnabà, president of the Executive Board of the association, welcomed a very interested audience.

 

A small homeland not to be forgotten

As the coordinator of the evening and author of the presentation of the volume, the meeting was introduced by Rino Cigui, researcher and historian of the Historical Research Centre of Rovinj and of the Society of Historical and Geographical Studies of Piran.

”It is with great pleasure that I accepted the invitation of my friend Di Paoli, with whom I share a love for Istria and its history, to put on paper some reflections on his latest editorial effort, a significant volume, which constitutes an important work of memory for the Verteneglio community. As most people know, Di Paoli is a tireless and attentive scholar of Istrian historical-musical traditions, who for some time has been bringing to light precious documentation, which otherwise risked being lost in the oblivion of everyday life and of what has already been read and heard. Memory, on the other hand, to remain alive, must be cultivated and nourished, since there is no worse fault than forgetting the past, whatever it may be. The people of Verteneglio, who remained and were exodus, have the moral duty to know their 'little homeland', they must know it in its many aspects if they want to have a unitary and faithful vision of it, because only once in possession of a rich set of knowledge and memories of their homeland will they be able to preserve it and pass it on to future generations", underlined Cigui, who for the occasion also read the speech of Massimo Gobessi of RAI Trieste, who was unable to attend.

The importance of the diocesan archive

"In these years I have had the opportunity to listen and approach, with silent humility, this land that I feel is mine on my mother's side and therefore it is difficult, but not impossible, for me to talk about this publication, because the traditions, but above all the values, are an integral part of my being - wrote Gobessi -. A volume enriched with musical transcriptions, notes, staves, which reconstruct the being together, the true sense of the community of Verteneglio, witness to the passage of people and flags, which have not modified that healthy, popular, oral soul, but not for this reason poor in content and wisdom. Making the most of the discreet existing bibliography on Verteneglio, of the most intimate life of the town, reconstructing the ritual folk traditions, his decades-long research has a high motivation, almost a moral and ideal commitment with the unforgettable Monsignor Luigi Parentin who was right when he said '…el ghe daghi a Di Paoli quel che gavemometto posto da parte…', words that committed the author to not leave out any piece of the mosaic of history and stories of Verteneglio" Gobessi noted referring to the researcher and lover of the past of the Istrian church, prolific writer, priest, archivist and historian Parentin, born in Cittanova in the early 900s and who in 1972 the Pope appointed honorary prelate, as well as archivist bishop of the Diocesan Archives of Trieste, which he organized, guided and studied until his death in December 1997.

Also present was Gianfranco Abrami, author of numerous shots in the volume, who told how, when Di Paoli asked him for the photos for the volume, pleasant memories of two wonderful people emerged: his father and his wife, Giovanni Fernetti and Rina Giuressi, both natives of Verteneglio, who later became great friends of his father in Trieste.

 

Intangible heritage

The author then expressed words of gratitude for the opportunity to present this work, born from research that began in the 90s.

”Every day my father told me about Verteneglio, about events in my family, so it was almost a moral duty to pour these memories into a volume, which is made up of various parts, with many historical photographs,” Di Paoli noted, explaining that he dedicated the volume to his great-grandmother, Giovanna Fiorentin, once known as “the old teacher,” as she was a teacher and director of the SEI of Verteneglio for forty years since 1915 and a school director in Castelvenere; to her husband and the author’s great-grandfather, Giovanni Paoluzzi, a local merchant; to his grandmother, Gioconda Paoluzzi, a teacher in Villanova and Verteneglio, Dame of the Order of the Crown of Italy and Gold Medal of the National League; to his grandfather Mario Paulovich, a teacher in Villanova di Verteneglio; to his uncle Mario Di Paoli and to his father, Paolo Di Paoli Paulovich, who spent his childhood in Verteneglio, former president of the Order of Chartered Accountants of Trieste and tax judge and former president of the Italian Communities of Villanova and Verteneglio.

The volume of almost 450 pages, accompanied by a CD with the transcribed songs, is divided into 13 chapters, where in addition to the publication of historical and folkloric materials, a very rich anthology of songs transcribed from the living practice of oral tradition from the mid-XNUMXth century to the mid-XNUMXth century, interrupted by the great exodus, is presented for the first time. The first documentary references of the place, the archaeological finds in the municipal territory, the artistic imprints, with particular attention to the churches, the calendar of the year between customs, rites and popular traditions and the ancient patriarchal song are presented. There is no lack of stories of the choir, the band, the Cathedral and the organ, as well as all the customs, religiosity and popular traditions. The whole is enriched with songs, poems, stories and some terms of the Verteneglio dialect, to conclude with a Verteneglio on the threshold of the second millennium and the "verteneanti" in the world.

"May the intangible legacy that lies in the materials of this volume act as an ideal bridge over which not only memories pass, but also founding pieces of identity and common values ​​of a dispersed community that reconnects with its past and ideally re-embraces its Istria and its territory together with its children of today", concluded Di Paoli.

Erika Barnabas 
Source: The Voice of the People – 29/11/2021