For a good many years now, I have
become one of those weekend tourists who return as much as possible to
the same place. The place for me is Praly, and over the years I
fell in love with it. It is a little village which is
easily accessible from the town in which I live. This surely
then, makes it an ideal staring point for Sunday trekking
expeditions.
However, for me it is much more than that. Knowing a
place since childhood means that over the years, I have met many
people some of whom are no longer to be found there. Even in an alpine
village time does not stand still, things change and familiar objects
disappear from time to time. This gives rise to mixed emotions of
enthusiasm and disappointment together with, joy and concern…
All of those emotions can draw a person to become deeply part of a
small universe which is a wonder to behold.
My
friends and colleagues frequently joke with me about my “Praly
fanaticism”. Well… may be it is! Of course I do enjoy
visiting other places and can admire the beauty of the landscapes that
other places have to offer but it is only by returning to a place and
forming a relationship that in the end you truly feel part of it.
Over
the centuries a large number of books have been written about this
area. This is largely due to two reasons: Praly lies in the
protestant Waldenses valleys of Piemont and it is home to a number of
mines primarily engaged in the extraction of talc.
These two
features, clearly not related, have given rise to the production
of an abnormal quantity of literature when compared to similar areas
elsewhere.
Centuries of religious persecution created a deep
interest in the area especially from the protestant countries.
This is still evident from the large availability of books in English,
German, French and other languages which is in addition to the local
literature.
The large number of mines has attracted a good deal of
industrial interests also. Over the XX century the economic relevance
of the mining activity has greatly diminished but this has coincided
with a new interest for industrial archaeology. As a consequence, a
large number of technical documents are now available up to the
XX and this has enabled various industrial archaeology studies to be
published towards the latter part .
Over the years I studied both
old and new documents, I have listened to people’s testimony who were
discussing the history and those affected by it. On some
occasions, I have participated as a volunteer for initiatives
oriented to promote the area to tourists.
This promotes a
special frame of mind within me. When I walk around, even if I am
alone, I am in good company! Each quiet corner has something to
whisper, everything around has a reason and has nothing to do
with chance. I live in a world that is having a conversation with
me and I feel most deeply about it.
This site is a collection of
my pictures and knowledge that I have assembled over time. As I
pursue subjects of any kind there is always the risk
of errors, but I hope they can be forgiven for an amateur! However, I
will be very happy and grateful to receive corrections this will
help me to make it a more robust history.
My maniac syndrome is not
so bad for me to focus on Praly village exclusively. Contents will also
include articles about the surrounding area.
The material I include: pictures, texts, video, audio and others are
produced by myself unless otherwise specified.
To contact me:
[email protected]
Thank you everybody!
Massimo Martelli
P.S.
Additional
details about the documents.
I am the author
of everything I publish including texts, pictures, movies, audio or
any other document unless otherwise specified. Concerning the
material which is not mine, I have the authorisation to use it by the
owner and/or I use it according to the law. Any mistake is made by
accident and in case somebody notices any, please inform me at my
mail in order to take the
necessary actions.
Thank you!
