Moving to the Countryside During the Pandemic : Gianni Murzi

 

Moving to the countryside during the pandemic has its own rewards 

Relocating to Barbarano Romano seemed a better idea than getting locked down in a small apartment in Rome during the second wave of the Covid 19 pandemic this 2020 fall.   Barbarano Romano is a village of a little more than one thousand inhabitants, some seventy kilometres north of Rome and about ten south of Viterbo,

The hilly countryside of the Alto Lazio was the right place to be in times of growing anxieties. The choice proved its worth, as I witnessed the start of the autumn and the harvesting of grapes and olives. Secure contacts with a small community of friends were possible and we could share a few good evenings talking with them, while sipping Prosecco wine and nibbling on home made snacks or a simple pasta - all this while still keeping distance from each other. 

With time, I discovered that the place could also be open to unforeseen encounters to warm the heart and stimulate the mind.

Below is a slideshow.  Be patient - the first slide will take time to load.  

 

**The Village**
The village has a population of 1066.  Like many other villages not far from Rome, it has its origins going back in time.  The ettlement goes back to VIII-V century BC. At that time, Etruscan people dominated a large swath of today's Italy west coast. In fact, an important Etruscan necropolis has been found here. The Romans slowly expanded their domination over Etruscan areas and fully integrated their culture into what would later become the Roman Empire. One of the first written records dated 649 AD, mentions establishment of the seat of the Bishop of Marturano in Barbarano. Later in 726 AD, Barbarano pledged its submission to the civil administration of the Roman Church, becoming feudal property of different families, the Anguillara first in 1354, and later in 1457 of Mario de Varia. 

The village has a triangular shape and sits high up on a ridge made of pyroclastic volcanic rock — tufo — surrounded on two sides by deep wooded cuts of the rock. The vegetation is so dense that sometimes city people hiking down the ravine get lost in the woods and need to be rescued by the park guards or the villagers. The village is walled and has only two gates that, when doors were closed, could have protected its inhabitants from marauders and enemies. The architecture of some buildings reflects the glorious past of the village.

**The Slides**

1-4, The Village view from the east side, a street corner with a lady sitting below her vine with ripen grapes, a detail of one church, looking outside the window in a rainy day.

5, Anna, the carpenter’s niece mending window frames in her uncle shop. She plans to reopen a traditional restaurant with her fiancé. 

6, A night view of one of the village wall doors leading down the ravine. The pavement was originally prepared so that horses and their horse riders could go over it without dismounting.

7-11, **Turning the camera lens to the inside** of the house, as if it were the inside of myself, to capture the mood of this Fall 2020 through the colours of the dining room or the colours of fresh produce and fruits, while reflecting about the inner peace achieved by changing between city and rural lifestyles.

12-17, **Harvesting** grapes and olives at Mario’s family run farm.

# **Encounters**
18-21, visiting Luigino’s grounds and the St Anthony chapel located on his property.
22-24, Giovanni, the shepherd, his eggs, his flock.
25, A curious horse, 
26 A two-day old newborn donkey, 
27, Longhorn cows, 
28, Trails—An ancient trail, 
29-30, Trails and fields in the hills around the village, 
31, One of the tunnels of the now disarmed train track.