"I was a caretaker of the mountains"
Ivan Kuznetsov – Writer from St. Petersburg. After graduating from the Nizhny Novgorod State University in the specialty "Marketing" and five years, a successful career threw work and housing and went on a trip to Europe in order to realize his children’s dream to become a writer of non-counted literature. The book "The trail that I paved. Four seasons in the mountain village in the north of Italy "- his first step in this journey. This is what the author himself speaks of his experience:
– Last year I lived in the village in the Dolomites in the north of Italy and worked as a volunteer at the local environmental education center. Remember the recent competition "Best Work in the World", where it was proposed to become a caretaker of the tropical island in Australia? In Italy I had the best job in the world! I was a mountain caretaker.
Around the village – 15 mountain trails. My task as a volunteer was to pass them all and make an updated route map with an indication of the most interesting, unusual and beautiful places, as well as those where it is easy to lose, follow their condition. Nobody went on the paths for a long time. As a result, I paved my own trail in the mountains. Hence the name of the book.
Also built a stove for pizza in the courtyard, sled and raised vegetables, cutting firewood, conducted master classes for children, participated in local holidays and volunteer stocks on environmental protection, slept in an open-air yacht in Venice and in the mountains at a height of 3000 M.
In the book a lot of funny stories, local traditions, myths and legends, stories about my adventures (Robbery "In Italian", hitchhiking, wild forest animals, marathons on bars. ), the descriptions of the amazing nature of the Dolomites Alps, where everything is: from the azure lakes to snow-covered vertices. I’m talking about all this and many other things in the book. I share tips on how to organize a long independent trip abroad, prepare for the campaign in the mountains and, most importantly, enjoy work.
"My Planet" publishes a fragment of the book
A little about Lamon himself. The city (or rather the village) was not so simple as I expected. Home Local Landmark – Church of San Pietro (not just a church, but a real necropolis) surrounded by a cemetery. She is on the Hill of the same name – it can be seen everywhere. Next to the church – a small park with the same name. Church – Hill – Park – Holy Trinity (my guess). Rose. Sky painting (and at the same time exciting). A special sign is installed before lifting, I read: "Gradinata Caduti E Dispersi Di Russia, 1942-1943" ("The staircase of the fallen and missing in 1942-1943"). And at the end of the stairs, another sign, on the stone the same text, but with the final: "Eternal memory" and the logo of the National Alpine Association – the Mining Unit of the Italian Army. In a word, in the cemetery, residents of the Lamon, who fought against Russians during the so-called Russian campaign (Compagnie di Russia) during World War II.
What I think about this? Never mind. I have absolutely no case before. First, because this is a famous fact – Italy fought on the side of Germany. Secondly, did not notice anything negative in relation to oneself. On the contrary, locals, as, however, the Italians in general, even too friendly and responsive. Smile, greet. And thirdly, around the insanely beautiful mountains. Only it worries me. The weather is changing every day, and with her and the mountains seem to come to life. I can not suck out. In clear weather, the mountains can be seen with an accuracy of every pebble, and it happens that the clouds crawl along the gorges, like dragons, gracefully wrapping every hill. Sometimes "dragons" as if they dissolve in the air and covered white most of the mountains, only the tops are visible, proudly sticking out of the clouds. And there are fogs when everything around clouds with milk-white, as in the fairy tale about the dairy rivers and the ribbons, the mountains are almost not visible, and the smell stands in the air, as if something burns – "dragons" emit fiery couples. Now the mountains are black, covered with snow and look sinister, but in the summer everything will be green, the snow is completely melting.
Almost every grief or under the mountain – the village. And all these are different villages, not alone. As already said, we live in Runya, and this is no longer Lamon, but a separate village. Go down or climb up – another. Streets as such. Instead of them – Village. (Important feature: In Italy, the names of the streets are not written at home, but only once on the pointer at the beginning of the street.) All this is called "Commune" – Commune Lamon (Commune Di Lamon). That is, all villages come in general education Lamon. Exception is only Arina, proudly stretching at the top opposite from the mountain lamp. Arina does not want to unite with a lamb. Locals are generally distinguished by independence and reluctantly become part of something. Actually, as such a country of Italy until 1861 (what a coincidence: the year of the abolition of serfdom in Russia) and did not exist. Was Rome, there was Venice, Naples, Genoa. And many still call themselves it is venetians, neapolitans, and not an Italians, although, of course, was born already during the United Isaly.
Inez tells us about the Lamon today, and we learned the history of the city from Flavio – the cartridge and the school mentor in Runya, who specially came to us in one of the evenings to meet, and at the same time and to hold a small lecture. It was he who several years ago acquired this land and this building and arranged in the former school educational center of a local environmental organization in which he worked and continues to work.
Lamon is in the province of Belluno with the capital of the same name, the region of Veneto with the capital in Venice. Padova, Vicenza, Verona is all too Veneto. At an altitude of 594 m, but everywhere round up to 600. At the entrance almost to each village or at some important point there is a pointer with a height designation above sea level. These are mountains. This is proud here. If one place is higher than the other on the conditional meter, it will not be ashamed of this to declare. This is the very beginning of the Dolomite Alps.
Little less than 3,500 people live in the lamp. At the beginning of the 20th century, the population was 7,000, but since the 1960s began to fall. People are slowly leaving the lamp. Living in the mountains is not easy: there is no work, winter cold, entertainment little. Villages are empty. San Donato is one of the main villages in the lamp, which is 8 km from here, – is considered to be non-residential. There is nothing: not a single store, not a single bar. There are only those who have home. For products go to Lamon. Without a car here in any way.
Patron Lamon – Saint Peter. Another parallel with homeland – St. Petersburg. Hence the name of the main city church. The ringing of bells is spread to the entire district. Heard in every corner. Hour of the day – one blow. Two hours – two. Two thirty – the last blow on the tone is different from the first two. Therefore, the lamp is not at all necessary to have a clock. Time can be recognized literally. Here you hear time, and do not look at the clock arrows. It is even more symbolic, if we consider that the clock on the church tower does not go – frozen at the mark of 9:31.
But just about time you think here last. It does not exist. And only the blows of church bells resemble the time. As Flavio told, the first church was built on the San Pietro hill in the VIII century. The construction was periodically updated, but the hill itself, on which it costs, was survived long before it appeared on it. Place sacred with pagan times.
The reproduction plateau was visited by people, as evidenced by numerous archaeological finds. And not just people. The skeleton of a prehistoric bear found here, more like a dinosaur rather, installed in the hall of the city hall building.
Mountains, if so to speak, is the land of shepherds, so the breeding of sheep and the production of wool has always been the basis of local farms, and later the local economy as a whole, and the main occupation of the local population. Flavio noted that not so long ago, within a century, people held thousands of sheep. Today, Lamon is considered to be an agricultural region, and sheep here is bred rather in decorative purposes. At least in significantly smaller quantities. Today’s Lamar is known for all Italy thanks to the beans (Fagiolo). The main city holiday – Festa Di Fagioolo (Holiday Beans), as it is easy to guess, is celebrated on the harvest day, at the end of September.
In addition, Lamon is located on the path of the famous Via Claudia Augusta (Road of Claudia Augustus) – an ancient military Roman road connected to the territory of the current South Germany with Venice. And just five minutes from Runi, there is no less famous Ponte Romano ("Roman Bridge") – old bridge, peroxided through the stream. This is a short path between the runes and the lamin. On him and via Via Claudia Augusta. She alone is called expensive, but in fact in the mountains these are just a path. The path in Lamon is still littered with snow – do not pass, but as soon as the snow melts, like the ancient Romans, and we will walk on her in Lamon. In the meantime, it is necessary to make a hook at one and a half kilometers on the asphalt road: First you get down from the hill, then it’s hard to rise. Breathing works on full.
