Culture Archives | Ecomuseo Bianzone

MASS FOR SAINT BERNARD

ecomuseo — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 16:22:42 +0000

Sunday 23 August 2026 A Mass dedicated to St Bernard, the patron saint of Bratta, was held, celebrated by Don Tullio and Don Federico, parish priest of Madonna di Tirano.

Not even the landslide in Mutagagia prevented the faithful from attending this annual event; until about ten years ago, a two-day festival was organised there, attracting hundreds of people. Here is what was recorded in the Ecomuseo archives:

Once again this year, the feast day of St Bernard attracted huge crowds, who made their way to the picturesque hamlet along the winding, scenic Bratta Road.

It was a full house at the traditional lunch, which featured sciat, pizzoccheri and polenta – all prepared and served superbly, as they are every year, by the many members of the Marantelli family, who proudly trace their roots back to this beautiful district.

From the poster:

Saturday 18 August, at 7.00 pm: an al fresco and indoor dinner with sciat, sliced meat, sausages, pork chops.

Sunday 19 August, at 11.30 am: Holy Mass

12.30 pm: lunch outdoors and indoors with pizzoccheri, polenta, sausages, pork chops, skewers.

In the afternoon, there will be surprise games featuring a special guest appearance by PAOLO ARGENTO

After such a warm welcome, how could one not take part in the raffle with its generous prizes to help fund the refurbishment of the Church of La Bratta.

Don Tullio has now informed those present that a proposal has been drawn up to be submitted to the Curia, specifically concerning the restoration of the bell tower and the north wing of the church.

Archive photos by Vanda Cerveri and photos taken today by Monica Gastaldini

Archive:

L'articolo MESSA PER SAN BERNARDO proviene da Ecomuseo Bianzone.

BOOK: ‘WHEN THE FIREFLIES FLY’

ecomuseo — Wed, 8 Sep 2021 18:30:23 +0000

The new book by Vanda Cerveri entitled “When fireflies flew”. The work, divided into two volumes, traces the history and daily life of the area from the expulsion of the Grisons to the present day, with a special focus on the last century. Unlike his previous work, ‘From One Hail Mary to Another’ based only on archive documents, this book is based on the historical memory and personal memories, being more emotionally charged. The author describes a past society that, while living in a subsistence economy and in misery, did not perceive poverty as shameful and practised mutual aid.

The text evokes difficult times, marked by pandemics (such as cholera and Spanish flu) and the tragedies of world wars. It dwells in particular on the past century marked by profound changes with the advent of progress that facilitated people's lives and accessibility on the one hand, but disrupted the natural habitat of yesteryear on the other.

The book is enriched with numerous photographs that help to bear witness to the past.

The title and subtitle (“Lights and Shadows”) recall the alternation between dark and serene moments in people's lives; fireflies represent small lights that soften the darkness.

L'articolo LIBRO ‘QUANDO VOLAVANO LE LUCCIOLE’ proviene da Ecomuseo Bianzone.

The Cusinascia

ecomuseo — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 20:48:13 +0000

Holding it in my hand, I seem to see one of the fifth-grade exercise books of yesteryear, the ones with the black cover and the light-coloured label outlined in amaranth red. The name also smacks of the past, “La Cusinascia”, which, however, is not derogatory, it indicates the environment where people lived and performed many tasks.

A plunge into the past with this recipe book that is the result of the “Mapping Bianzone” project, proposed by the Ecomuseo of the Rhaetian terraces to the Region, which recognised it from a cultural point of view and financed it together with other initiatives in the area, such as the book on trades produced by the school and the search for place names. is a return to the 1950s and what people ate back then. The recipes come from some of the village elders who shared their secrets in the kitchen.

The book is divided into 14 parts, each section referring to a specific foodstuff, the cultivation and use of which is explained: buckwheat, maize, rye, wheat, barley, garden produce, potatoes, vines, pork, eggs, fruit. And then the recipes such as fuiadi, fritulini, pulenta al furan, cui patati, cui tartifuli, pancot, pan dei munt, minestra de ors, taroz, vin coc, ris e lac’, tripa, marsala all'uovo, farudi. Pleasant pages, reading them one understands how people lived, what they ate, simple but genuine food.

L'articolo La Cusinascia proviene da Ecomuseo Bianzone.

DOCUMENTARY ‘FAR-OFF LANDS – BRATTA AND PIAZZEDA’

ecomuseo — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:46:35 +0000

The documentary is intended as a homage to the land of Bratta e Piazzeda and the people who lived there, two communities shaped by rugged terrain, a sense of practicality and a spirit of sacrifice, but also permeated by a familiarity that is a little shy, a little rough perhaps, but full of humanity and generosity.

It is a collection of memories of places, faces, moments of life lived interpreted by local actors to discover, understand, value and hand down a heritage of tradition and popular culture of considerable value. There are also several testimonies of citizens who lived through difficult moments such as the Second World War.

The film is directed by Valentina Capone assisted by:

Marco Careri for editing
Martina Cocco and Davide Manca for photography
Cristian Gullotta, Daniele Tesauro and Germano Mazzocchetti for the music
The Alpina Julia Alpine Brigade Choir Dismissed for Songs
G. Farm di Mazzolari Dr Gianni Alex for the graphic design and DVD edition

L'articolo DOCUMENTARIO ‘TERRE LONTANE – BRATTA E PIAZZEDA’ proviene da Ecomuseo Bianzone.