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Good Luck to the New Directors; May they
Continue the Work Undertaken and Carried out with the Same Commitment and
Involvement as has been Achieved Thus Far.
By Antonio Manzi.
After about six years of being the President of the Cultural Association
“Amici di Torricella" (Friends of Torricella), I
am leaving this task due to the course of normal and correct turnover. It
has been a wonderful experience for me, which I have lived with great love
and passion, in the hopes of contributing to a harmonious cultural and
social development of our village.
During these years we have achieved many exciting objectives. We have
involved almost the entire populace of Torricella in the splendid,
high-class international competitions for Lyric Voices that have been of
Regional and National importance, being such great artistic events.
We have published the Newsletter periodically, by comparison (with other
publications) a correct and articulate expression, illustrating traditions,
usages, portraits of country life, providing useful news and giving people
the chance to express their opinions about the social and economic
development of the village. This initiative has been an unqualified success.
Communicating with people can be easy, the difficulty lies in doing it well
and using moral principles; and our journal has succeeded, becoming
established as one of the best publications in the Region. We have
accomplished many activities of good quality, all connected with the
development of our village.
From highly educational events carried out in conjunction with the “V.
Bellini” Middle School, to the convention on the theme “A Project for the
Development of Tourism in a Village in the Interior” in collaboration with
the Town Council and “Abruzzo Verde” (“Green Abruzzo”); from Photographic
Competitions with the theme of our locality, to Touring Exhibitions.
From Agri-Tourism days in collaboration with “Abruzzo Verde”, to the
important ceremony on discovering the gravestone of the Torricellan
ancestors of the D’Amicos - and then conferring honorary citizenship on
Alexander, the son, and Filomena, the niece, of the great Silvio D’Amico[1].
From the award of the Medal I remember the Torricellan writer and journalist
Antonio Piccone Stella, to the various numerous other events recalling
village traditions. In carrying this ambitious programme forwards I have
valued the close, indispensable collaboration of the Vice-President, Nicola
D’Orazio, and all members of the Executive Committee, Antonio Piccoli, Bruno
Gentile and Germana Piccone, to whom I renew my thanks and express my
esteem. Our Association was born amidst the living and contradictory reality
of our village and our zone. Our task was to do battle for a just solution
to our problems. This battle must be continued with determination and
good-will. The new President Aurelio Lalli Persiani has all the qualities
necessary for carrying out this task. His sensitivity and his love for
Torricella will form the basis of his work, his intelligence and his
imagination will certainly lead him to consolidating and developing the
successes already obtained. I offer him and his collaborators my most
affectionate and sincere good wishes for good work. |
Towards the Re-launch of our Association
By Antonio Piccoli.
It was three years ago that President Manzi went unheard when he asked for
someone to replace him. He didn’t want to abandon us, but merely to pass on
the job, to inject new life into the Association, and, above all, to comply
with the statute that states that each year there should be a new President.
But nothing happened: for three years when he handed in his resignation,
each time he was asked to stay on for another year since no other member
felt able to succeed him, to do what he had done, see the lyric competition,
with his personality and his prestige.
Thus the lack of changeover, together with the lack of funds with which
to organise the competition, took the Association into a long period of high
level inactivity. On the other hand, for other reasons with certain
solution, this Newsletter, a fundamental element necessary for the life of
the Association, has not come out since January ’93 [nearly 2 years]; the
lack of publication left one feeling confused.
On the 16th August at the ordinary summer assembly, the members wanted to
resolve the problem in any way possible; as they say in Torricella, “o si
tresca o si spicce l’ara”, “either it’s an affair or it’s a dash to the
altar”, in other words, either we elect a President or we shut down. This
latter possibility had been floating in the air for quite a while, but we
had had the feeling that whoever pronounced it would be doing so in order to
exorcize the closure itself.
Several members spontaneously had renewed their subscriptions, paying as
much as 50,000 Lire (annual membership is only 30,000) trying to save the
saveable. And many people at Torricella Peligna did not want it to close
down, because they knew full well that in great part the reawakening of
culture and tourism there was thanks to the Association’s activities.
Finally, after hours of heated debate, since everyone wanted it to carry on,
someone came forward who was willing to undertake the task, if only for one
year. Aurelio Lalli Persiani and Rodolfo Taito, together with Bruno Gentile,
Germana Piccone, and Antonio Piccoli, from the “old guard”, all agreed that
it was time to put a halt to the stagnant situation and carry forward the
experience of the Association. The very first things to be done were to
publish the journal again, at least three times a year, and to send a letter
to all the members inviting them to renew their membership cards. If these
initial steps give the desired effect, then at the assembly on 30th
December, the summer programme will be discussed in order to make decisions
about it together and to set it in motion.
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