The song composed upon the death of Astor Piazzolla's father
"Adìos Nonino" still resounds in the historic village of Massa Sassorosso in the municipality of Villa Collemandina. Astor Piazzolla's bandoneon (a type of concertina) seems to echo throughout the stone walls of this town perched on a spur and the birthplace of the grandmother of the Argentine Tango master.
In the summer evenings, when the village hosts music festivals among the spectacular scenery, there
is always someone playing "Adìos Nonino", the poignant farewell song
that Piazzolla wrote in New York in 1959 as a last gift to his recently
departed father, Vicente. The term "Nonino" is a variation of the
Italian word "nonnino" and was Vicente's family nickname. Astor
learned of his father's passing following a bicycle accident while on tour in
Puerto Rico. He immediately returned to New York. It is said that he locked
himself in the kitchen and played the heartbreaking melody on the bandoneon. Piazzolla's
Garfagnana roots are celebrated by a square,
Largo Astor Piazzolla, which proudly claims: "Artist and son of this
land".
The shades of marble on the rock
The village of Sassorosso boasts pre-Roman origins and was built with
local stones. It is 1,089 meters high and rises above the valley. Steep and
filled with steps, it is best visited at sunset when its colours blend with
those of the hill. The unique shade of its marble,
called Rosso Collemandina (extracted until recently) was much sought after
thanks to its colour and rare design. It was used for marble inlays,
furnishings and architectural details in churches and the houses of the
nobility. The old quarry, now in disuse,
sits on the top of the rocky cone of the village. The thousand shades of Rosso
Collemandina marble are still visible in the cut rock.
Hay festival remembers transhumance
The cutting of the hay marked the
beginning of the season of flock transhumance. Mountain pastures therefore
became free for anyone who wished to bring their sheep and cows. The hay was
cut by peasants and shepherds from all over Garfagnana, which they then
celebrated with a feast. In Villa Collemandina, particularly in the Campaiana
Alps, this ritual is still very much felt. The hay festival takes place every year at the end of July. Local
associations remember the old farming activities of hay mowing and drying,
which was either carried on the shoulder or with the help of the mules. The
festival takes place in the same place as it was once celebrated. The town of
Villa Collemandina, which is divided into six fractions, is dominated by the rhythms of rural life and
evidenced in the local food. Herds can be found among the pastures of Pruno,
Sulcina, Salera and Campaiana. The only exception is Pianacci, in which crafts and stone work take precedence.