Page 43 - A Life - my Live - my path

The journey - coal miner’s community

To sell an animal, fairs were organised in the surrounding
villages. My parents made the journey on foot, sometimes
with a pig weighing over 100 kg. They had to tread lightly,
the paths were steep and it sometimes took two days to get
to the fair. At nightfall, they would ask if they could sleep in
a barn, which was always accepted. At the fair, negotiating
the price was important, but before the end of the day, if
necessary, the price would be lowered, because they couldn't
imagine returning without money and with the pig.
Each family had its own land and grew wheat, barley,
oats, rye, etc. We also had olive trees, vines, orchards with
cherries, apples, figs, etc., and a vegetable garden. Basic
needs were covered by work, harvests and picking.

When the time came, my father took the necessary steps to
obtain the documents, in particular the passport issued by
the administrative centre in Chieti. Weeks went by and the
documents never arrived. He decided to go to Chieti to
collect his passport. Along with a cousin and with a
prosciutto (ham) under their arm, they set off and handed
the prosciutto to the agent but had to wait until the next
day to collect the passport. Since they couldn't afford the
luxury of a hotel, they slept under the stars in a pine forest,
where they were stopped by the police.
On 11 November 1955, aged 28, with his documents in
order and a work contract in his pocket, my father set off
for Belgium. In Milan, the Italian and Belgian authorities
carried out a medical inspection.

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