PDA's

Anyone who has taught high school for more than a week knows what PDA's are (public displays of affection, for the uninitiated among you).  But here in Cervinara, and in so many other small towns in this area, PDA's are my shorthand for Public Displays of Art.  It's a charming way to bring beauty to the streets and sometimes show important traditions and beliefs.

We don't see many PDA's "downtown".  There the streets are dominated with shop fronts and restaurants.  But up in the Borgo of Castello and down into the Ioffredo and Valle neighborhoods, public art is a part of daily life.  Starting up in Castello, the highest neighborhood in town, there is a series of murals dedicated to the chestnut. For generations, the economy of Cervinara revolved around the chestnut harvest and other fruits of the mountains.  When Castello started hosting the Chestnut Festival every October, the murals were painted to add character and a sense of history to the event.  They are still there, invoking memories of the hard labor the cultivation of chestnuts entails.

Some of the artwork is of a more personal nature.  It's not clear who the artist is in most cases, and if he or she still lives in the house that has been decorated.  Today, walking down a narrow alleyway up in Castello, I came across this sketch.  Half of it is missing, but I was taken by the somber feel and the simplicity of the figure. 

  Then there is this charming and heartwarming picture of a traditional Cervinarese couple from the past.  I found this in the tiniest piazza, not a 10 minute walk from our house.  It's tucked away in a corner of the Valle neighborhood and I just love the sense of history and nostalgia that it imparts. 

There are other pieces of public art that one encounters along the way, many of a religious nature.  This simple painting shows a primitive look at our local parish church, San Nicola.  There are also many paintings dedicated to various saints and religious figures. 

I think for the most part, most residents of Cervinara and all those other small towns walk by these pieces of public art and never register what they are seeing.  Sometimes it takes the eyes of an outsider to appreciate what a gift these works actually are.  To be surrounded with beauty, both manmade and natural, gives our lives meaning.  I try to find that beauty in every corner of our little town and I hope my readers will appreciate them as well.  Peace.