"Once upon a time..." I remember the time I was a little boy: while I was lying on my bed, my grandfather, with a warm and wise voice, told me stories and legends to carry my fantasy into sweet night dreams…“Cortile Scot” is not a fairy tale, but it embodies in its stories the magic of a past times.
The name of this courtyard takes its origins from the nickname of the families who lived in the buildings surrounding the courtyard. Many, many voices have been echoing in the courtyard of “Cortile Scot” for such a long time! It’s so nice to introduce some names… of the people that “said farewell” to us so long ago:
“Barba”[1] Tino Bosco, married to Casanova Elisabetta, son of Lorenzo; “Barba” Ihio (Luigi) Scot, married to Adriana Ren and father of nine children; “Barba” Toni Benedet, firstly married to Veronica and secondly to Gambetto Domenica from Parma, father of seven children; “Barba” Paulo Scot, married to Nina and father of four children; lastly Micela Micelin, married to Sante Cassol.
They were hard times and the family heads had to leave wife and children to go abroad, looking for work… “Barba” Tino, “Barba” Ihio, “Barba” Toni, “Barba” Paulo and Sante Cassol worked as miners in the longest tunnel in that age: Domodossola – Svizzera. In those times the only tools to work stone were the human hands and an iron hammer…
While husbands were abroad, wives attended to their children at home, cultivated the land and rease livestock.
A “vecio” (old man) told me (speaking in the Venetian dialect): «They were hard times for everybody, but… we also had moments of infinite joy when we sat together talking and singing…». The story of “Cortile Scot”… I didn’t manage to really discover its true beginning and I don’t even dare to imagine its end; yet, there is still much to discover. My life itself won’t be enough to be able to say: «I managed to complete this book: I read a beautiful story!»
(Marco Crepaz - Thank you, grandpa Duilio!)
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