MARr CUORd
Rural Exhibition of Stories, Images and Voices
2nd June 2025, 3:00 p.m.
Rocche di Civitella, Civitella del Tronto (TE, Italy)
Case d’Angelo Street
Starting on 2nd June 2025, on a quiet, secluded country road in Rocche di Civitella, visitors will be able to experience a sense of suspension, estrangement and immersion in the rural world of the past. Walking along the edge of the countryside, you will see large, evocative photographs depicting scenes of agricultural life, festivals and rituals, and emigration, taken from the village’s family archives. Each one tells a story, showing the men and women of that time, the animals and the surrounding landscape, and is accompanied by the words and voices of many villagers who have offered their testimony and shared their direct experiences. Visitors will be able to listen to some stories of life, written in 1950 by Vanda Romani from Rocche, and some passages from the novel “Con la festa nel cuore” by Elisa Lizzi, interpreted by actor Filippo Crispo, in which the stories of four generations and four historical moments come to life: those of grandparents, fathers, the narrator and the children of the future, retracing the festivals and rituals that are important expressions of the identity of the Rocche community. The exhibition is further enriched by videos and audio recordings of Abruzzo’s oral tradition from the Centro Etnomusicologico d’Abruzzo.
Born from the efforts and research of Andrea Salemi, whose family originates from Rocche di Civitella, the exhibition, set in the surrounding landscape, reproduces 22 large-format photographic and text panels, linked to multimedia content that allows access to direct testimonies via QR codes from the project website www.marrcuord.it, where you can explore further information and detailed descriptions of the protagonists and creators.
The idea behind the project and the exhibition is the desire to show young people how different the world of the past was from today’s, even though only a few decades have passed; how in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, even basic necessities were lacking, forcing people to emigrate far away; how, in this material poverty, the sense of belonging to the community and solidarity between families was a strong and necessary value to keep alive.
The exhibition is sponsored by numerous organisations, including the Municipality of Civitella del Tronto, the Municipality of Campli, the Municipality of Pineto, the Museo delle Genti d’Abruzzo, the A.S.T.R.A. Association, the Centro Etnomusicologico d’Abruzzo, the Museo Nina, Bambun APS and Tramontana Network, Gran Sasso Laga ICH (Intangible Cultural Heritage), and the Villa Cagnano Association. The opening event is included in the programme of events for the Cultural Festival of the Rural Villages of Laga.
