The Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa

Bianchi

“I you cousin. You come here.” This is what the Italian-accented woman said when she called in response to a letter I had mailed to potential relatives in Italy. Without any reservations, she invited me to her home. l accepted her invitation and two months later, I was at the Lamezia train terminal waiting for this new-found relative to take me deep into the heart of Calabria to the never-before-seen home of my ancestors.

The superstrada leads north from Lamezia to Bianchi, but so do the secondary roads, and that’s route she took. The road twisted and turned as we made our way through the seemingly endless dark green forest of pines and hardwood trees of Il Mezzogiorno (as the Italians call their country south of Naples) to the hilltop comune of my grandfather and great-grandparents.  The natural landscapes and vistas viewed from the hills surrounding Bianchi are breathtaking and I found it hard to understand why anyone would leave such a beautiful place.

The Mayor gave me a video of the history of Bianchi, saying that the comune is believed to have originated around the first half of 1600, when a multitude of people moved from the nearby town of Scigliano after a series of natural disasters. In 1811 the ancient Scigliano was officially divided into four municipalities, putting Bianchi under the jurisdiction of Colosimi. In 1820 Bianchi acquired its civil status. Each of the six hamlets under its’ jurisdiction, Censo, Murachi, Serradipro, Ronchi, Paragolio and Palinudo, are unique. Serradipiro is home to the Baronial Palace Serravalle. The Palace Accattatis, which gave birth to distinguished personalities of the noble family Accattatis, is in Censo.  In the hamlet Muraca is a cave where the bandit Pietro Bianchi took refuge. In the church of Serradipiro is a richly carved wooden altar with a canvas depicting the Blessed Virgin of Rosario adored by the Saints Dominic and Catherine.

Although small, Bianchi gave the characters that made history in various fields of social life: Pietro Bianchi, around which many legends were born, was a bandit protesting against the kingdom of Savoy, Clement Moraca, wrote "A tragedy sacred or the Passion of Christ", Don Ferdinand Bianchi, a priest, fought for freedom, was arrested and sentenced to life in prison. Eight years later he escaped and was one of the Thousand of Garibaldi soldiers, eventually becoming Director of Coast, Aldo Accattatis, the illustrious poet, Luigi Accattatis, founder of a private college in Cosenza and director of the magazine “The Calabrese", noted for publication of "Biographies of Illustrious Calabresi”, Luigi Elvio Accattatis, a scholar who wrote "Bianchi”.  Accattatis said, “History summarizes peoples, and education is a source of knowledge, the only good thing that elevates the spirit of Christ is that Men love your neighbor as yourself.”

A walk through the cobblestone streets of the historic center of Bianchi allows one to appreciate the simplicity of the architectural details of the oldest buildings, such as the baroccheggiante-style Church of St. James the Apostle, dating back to 700. This is where my grandfather was baptized and my great-grandparents married. I read names like Scarpino, Elia, DeFazio, Marasco, Cosentino, Colosimo, Bianco, Costanzo and Arcuri listed on a monument honoring fallen war heroes, and recognized these people as my ancestors. I shopped in family owned businesses that lined the streets. I toured oregano fields, gathered mushrooms and picked anise seed along the roadside. In Censo, I walked into the house where my grandfather & great-grandfather were born. A visit to the cemetery, where I saw tombstones bearing pictures of my relatives, was surreal.       

Today Bianchi is obviously very different from the past, but despite the inevitable changes, the customs and costumes continue to maintain a strong link with tradition. Celebrated is the tradition of fòcara on Christmas night, where a huge bonfire burns in the square of every hamlet and residents exchange Christmas sweets. The Festival of Chestnuts prepares an infinite number of dishes with chestnuts, from bread to ice cream. Another tradition still alive is that of the killing of the pig. Carnival and Christmas are occasions for the traditional parade, masks and the living crib. The patron saint, San Giacomo, is honored in July.  

The Biancari are ingenious, hard-working people, whose businesses range from hotels, to restaurants, to gold manufacturing, to handcrafted furniture, to exporting produce. These warm people have a strong sense of family, so strong, in fact, that they didn’t hesitate to welcome an unknown Americani relative into their homes. I’m proud to say that I have Italian cugini, and prouder yet to say that we are no longer strangers. – Susan DeFazio

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