Tonj The Walk to the Grotto of St. Michael
(Una nostra assidua visitatrice ci ha fatto pervenire, dagli USA un suo scritto in inglese che riportiamo di seguito. Per chi non conosce tale lingua, al termine trova la traduzione in italiano).
Several years ago two friends and I traveled to Italy to trace my Italian heritage. It was a humbling experience that touched me in ways I never thought possible. We traveled from our hometown of New Castle, Pennsylvania halfway around the world to where my family history began generations before me, to the quaint little village of Camigliano near the city of Caserta. I was taken aback by the unpretentious way of life there. All you could see from any angle were mountains. I tried to see the town again through the eyes of my beloved grandfather Annibale Giovanni Di Bernardo. When we arrived the streetlights were already ablaze in preparation for the feast of San Simeone. The people aren’t afraid to show their devotion. As you walk the streets and past homes you can see shrines to certain favorite Saints of a particular family. While walking up to the church of San Simeone, my family’s church for generations, the street is lined with Saints. Looking at the beautiful statue of the Sacred Heart Of Jesus over whelmed me I thought of my own father who taught me my own strong devotion. He had never seen Camigliano and I wondered how he would feel to see this beautiful statue in his own father’s beloved homeland and village.
Inside each shrine along the roadside is a picture of a family member the shrine is dedicated to. Any time of the day or night you can see someone placing fresh flowers at the foot of the statue, lighting a candle, saying a silent prayer, and maybe leaving a donation to help the family keep the shrine up. Carmelo Palandra my grandfather’s nephew through marriage took Jane, Anita, and me to the family cemetery to see where my ancestors are buried in the family mausoleum. Along this journey we also found our way to the fallen hero’s in World War 1 cemetery. As you look and stop to pay your respects to the soldier’s that have lost their lives you are being told of another sad tale. There were three young lads from the village playing. They found their way to a grenade; it went off tragically killing two of the boys and leaving the other without his left arm.
We came along the vineyards that have been owned for generations by my family in Italy. They still are growing grapes for wine, and olives for homemade olive oil that was started many years before by my great-grandfather Alfonso DiBernardo. Looking out into the vineyards I couldn’t help thinking about how many days and hours that must have been spent in preparation for this year round. I wondered to myself how different this land would look to my great-grandfather and my grandfather today if they could see it again. As we left the vineyards and started up to the grotto, everything seemed to be a little bit quieter. The mountain is said to be of volcanic origin. Formed high in the plain of the mountain is the St. Michael Grotto. Walking up the path way you see a shrine that consists of The Blessed Virgin Mary on the left-hand side, The Sacred Heart Of Jesus in the middle, and Padre Pio on the right-hand side. They are on cemented blocks to protect them from falling over from strong winds and snow in the winter. A log placed just about the midway point helps weary walkers to rest. It was so unbelievably tranquil just to sit and think about all the history that I was seeing.
We all started walking again after a few minutes in anticipation of what was lying ahead of us. Strolling further along we found just how maintained the outside of the mountain really was. Looking as we rounded the corner was a massive mountain that was carved from the outside in, back in the 1600's, and we couldn’t help but be awed. Various religious drawings were added in 1657. On the right-hand side is The Blessed Virgin Mary and the left hand-side St. Michael and St. Peter The Apostle. In 1672 Nicola Gascone the governor of Capua donated the statue of St. Michael on May 8, 1738, Giuseppe Cenname started to wall up the exterior chapel, which consisted of the marble altar, which is enclosed deep inside the mountain.
To see the altar back deep inside of the mountain just adds to the perfect beauty and spirituality of the place. You can feel the time and the work involved throughout the generations to keep such a place of beauty in its raw surroundings but there is nothing raw about its meaning. The altar was just the starting point to all of this history that has been carried down through the ages. Once I had paid my respects to St. Michael the Archangel I found myself saying a silent prayer for the men who had worked so hard all those years ago to make this all possible for people who care enough to see this and have a place where you can show your devotion and not be afraid of offending anyone else who doesn’t share the same belief. Coming out and standing looking down we could see the entire village of Camigliano and just see how very peaceful it look’s from high on top of the mountain. On the way down you see all that you have seen on the way up, only this time you have a better sense of value of this little town my relatives call home. It was a peaceful and compassionate feeling that I will always remember.
Being halfway up the mountain and down again, the town seemed a little more special to me. The places I had seen earlier that day seemed a little brighter, almost larger than life. Looking into the people’s faces and seeing they neighborhood people bustling around finishing their chores for the day and witnessing the men on their way home stopping to place flowers again at their favorite Saints seemed all the more meaningful to me. Going back to my cousin Rosa Palandra’s home that day was a very moving moment for me, I was so lucky to be there with so many of my cousins after my grandfather left some ninety-six years earlier.
Traduzione letterale di Franco Valeriani
Gita alla grotta di San Michele
Alcuni anni fa, insieme a due miei amici, venni in Italia alla ricerca delle mie origini. Fu un’esperienza toccante che io credevo impossibile. Partimmo dalla città di New Castle in Pennsylvania (Stati Uniti) per raggiungere Camigliano (Caserta) paese originario della mia famiglia. Quello che si vedeva erano montagne che, ai miei occhi, ricordavano il mio amato nonno Annibale Giovanni Di Bernardo. Camminando lungo le strade del paese vedevo edicole votive dedicate ai Santi. Poi raggiunsi la chiesa di San Simeone, frequentata dai miei avi. Vidi la bellissima statua del Sacro Cuore di Gesù di cui mio padre mi tramandò la devozione. In ogni ora del giorno si vedono persone che depongono fiori ai piedi della statua, accendono ceri e pregano in silenzio. Con i nipoti di mio nonno, Carmelo Palandra, visitai il cimitero dove riposano i miei antenati, inoltre visitai le tombe di soldati morti durante la Prima Guerra Mondiale. Poi attraversammo un vigneto di proprietà dei miei antenati. Nel terreno crescono ancora vigneti ed ulivi trapiantati dal mio bisnonno Alfonso Di Bernardo. Osservando pensavo ai giorni e alle ore che i miei antenati impiegarono per preparare il tutto e la differenza delle attuali condizioni del terreno susciterebbe la meraviglia del mio bisnonno e del mio nonno. Appena lasciammo il vigneto ed iniziammo a salire verso la grotta di S. Michele tutto mi apparve in condizioni migliori. Si dice che in origine la montagna sia stata un vulcano. Camminando lungo il sentiero raggiungemmo un Santuario con l’immagine della Vergine Maria sul lato sinistro. Il Sacro Cuore di Gesù al centro e Padre Pio sul lato destro. Per proteggerli dai crolli causati dal vento o dalla neve vi sono blocchi di cemento. Regnava una incredibile tranquillità, ci sedemmo e pensavamo a tutto ciò che di storico stavamo osservando. Riprendemmo il cammino dopo alcuni minuti. Guardando intorno notammo un’imponente montagna dove nel 1600 fu scavata una grotta e noi non potemmo che meravigliarci. Diverse pitture furono aggiunte nel 1657. Sul lato destro la Vergine Maria e sulla sinistra San. Michele e San Pietro Apostolo. Nel 1672 il governatore di Capua, Nicola Gascone, donò la statua di San Michele e l’8 maggio 1738 Giuseppe Cenname costruì un muro sul lato esterno della cappella ed un altare in marmo all’interno della grotta. L’altare conferisce al luogo un perfetto senso di spiritualità. Guardando si può capire il tempo ed il lavoro impiegato attraverso generazioni per conservare un così bel luogo. L’altare fu l’inizio di questa storia che si è tramandata nel tempo. Ho espresso la mia devozione a San Michele Arcangelo, e mi sono ritrovata a pregare in silenzio per l’uomo che ha lavorato anni addietro con tanto impegno, rendere possibile tutto ciò e avere un posto dove puoi esprimere la tua devozione, senza offendere chi non ha la stessa Fede. Usciti dalla grotta e guardando in lontananza, potevamo osservare Camigliano e vedere, da quella altezza, il suo aspetto sereno. Guardando i volti della gente e osservandola durante le faccende domestiche e gli uomini sostare presso le edicole per deporre fiori, tutto era molto significativo per me. Ritornando a casa di mia cugina Rosa Palandra, quel giorno fu per me molto commovente. Posso dirmi fortunata di essere stata insieme ai miei numerosi cugini dopo la dipartita di mio nonno, avvenuta 96 anni fa.
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