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OPEN LETTER TO THE MAJOR OF GESUALDO The Gesualdo's pro-loco, because
of its spokesmans’ vanity, publishes demential books and booklets, which surely
give no prestige to the town, not only, but they expose it to ridiculous. Recently, members of the cultural
association have spread the “SAN PIO - Gesualdo” booklet, a short history of the
town, which outrages common sense and inteligence. In the booklet it is said that
between the Longobardian and the Norman epoque, “there is no
historical information because savageness was predominant, with any kind of
abuses and the destruction of any form of culture and history”. I would like to remember that in 642 Ajone the 1st lost his life to preserv our lands from invasion from Albania. The christianity was spread thanks to longobardians, after the victory of christians upon Arians, thanks to friulan duchess Teodata, wife of duke Romualdo the 1st. The Duke Grimoaldo the 1st, father-in-law of duchess Cividale, was legislator and king of Pavia in the Longobardian Italy from 661 to 671. Arechi the 2nd (758-787), prince of Benevento, was very fond of Eclano, so built churches and gave power to the diocese from which depended also the territory of Gesualdo. The upmentioned Arechi, commissioned to his wife’s “aio” (the master), Paolo Diacono (fantasious storiografo), the Longobardians’ history, favouring our zone. It should also be remembered that Arechi, in order to abolish Eclano’s corporative pagan cult for Mercurio, protector of traders, introducted, in our capital of the time, the devotion to Saint Mercurio giving charge to Anastasio Bibliotecario to write his biography. At the time of the supposed barbarian period, the Longobardians gave to light many Montecassino’s abbots, Popes and Saints, San Tommaso d’Aquino himself belonged to a Longobardian family. In the 835 Sicardo, to increase the use of connection ways to our villages, made a law that forbidded fluvial transit, because at the time, being navigable the Calore river, it reduced the on-land traffic. In the 848 thanks to the mediation of Ludovico the 2nd, king of France and then Imperator, the Benevento state was divided between Radelchi (839-850), to whom was assigned the principate of Benevento, and Siconulfo (840-849) to whom was assigned the one of Salerno. In that occasion was built the road connecting Benevento, Eclano (Quintodecimo) and Conza. The road passed in the actual territory of Gesualdo, and in Migliano of Frigento was indicated the half way and the boundary between the two principates. To the south Longobardians we must attribute the first writings in Italian language, “I placiti cassinesi”, written during the principate of Landolfo the 3rd of Benevento (962-968). In the “San Pio”booklet it is confunded Ruggero Borsa with king Ruggero the 2nd the Normanno, who in 1130 unified the whole Italian South, and in 1140 promulgated the “Assise di Ariano”. At the time the “South Kingdom” was called “Sicilian Kingdom” and had Palermo as capital. Apart from the fact the whole genealogy of the Normans is wrong, in the booklet mentioned above, the Gesualdo family were partisans of Tancredi king of Sicilia (died in 1194), rival of Enrico the 6th, father of the great imperator Federico the 2nd. For this reason they have been always hated by the Svevi, defeated by Carlo D’Angiņ in 1266 in Benevento. For these considerations, given that some exponents of Gesualdo’s pro-loco since more than ten years diffuse and express ignorance and presuntion, I hope Dear Sir the Major will be careful in allowing contributes to the association, and will promote a more decent Cultural Circle of Gesualdo. In the end, I will let you observe that the situation is worse than what it seems, if we think that these stories are diffused on the internet, avaiable to the whole world. It would be right if they were removed! The history of our town is a patrimony of the entire community and must be defended from who wants to impoverish it for a useless protagonism. Gesualdo 09 23 2004 Best regads
Giuseppe Mannetta |