Michele Panno's house

The birthplace of Michele Panno, where the book "Infanzia del Borgo" is set, represents a visible trace of the autobiographical story of a humble and large peasant family, with five daughters to marry off and one son, the youngest, the Oscata-born writer to whom a documentary has been dedicated, available on the association's YouTube channel. The book has been reviewed and promoted as an ethnographic work of considerable interest for the territory. It is a treasure trove of literary images dedicated to trades and artisans that can no longer be replicated today. Michele Panno is the author of two other autobiographical books, "Tracce e rimandi" and "Scaglie di memorie", as well as collections of poems and essays. A mural has been dedicated to Michele Panno, created by Miza, a local artist who, from the cracks of houses, depicted the faces of various local authors. In the village, one can also see murals dedicated to La Penna and Franco Arminio, painted by the same artist.

Houses of the past also served as makeshift hospitals. Here is a passage from "Infanzia del Borgo": "The day I was born, for example, my mother went to plant grain. She had done so much of that exercise that I came into the world without any effort, right next to the hearth. There was barely time to lie down on a straw mattress and wait for Ze Maria. Regularly informed by my father, the vammana (midwife) arrived, with her usual apron tucked up. My aunt Michelina had already tied the umbilical cord, washed and swaddled the newborn. Everything was in order. 'I bring you Michele'. That was the vammana's good wish. My mother needed it so much. Already five daughters were delighting her home. Archangel Michael, invoked several times, had granted the favor. Indeed, I was born in the night between the seventh and eighth of May. I was named Michele precisely in honor of the Archangel. And one could not joke with the Saints. The saying warned strictly: 'joke with the servants, not with the Saints'. The name had to be just that: I had carried it with me. Back then, the birth of a child posed no kind of problem, just like for cats, dogs, kids, or calves. They were born without many troubles or complications, and human children could be born in the same way."

Michele Panno's house is marked on the village signage and is included in literary walks, where, through readings and descriptions, life of the past is recounted thanks to the author's stories.