"Past Cortesani on the still time meadows". Thus begins a song by maestro Bepi De Marzi, who has recounted through melancholy and hope the breath of one of the most picturesque districts in the upper Chiampo Valley. It is a handful of houses just below Marana di Crespadoro. A handful of rooftops stretched out on the meadows, in a widening carved out of the woods, looking far away at the mountains of the Scagina and down below at the gorges that the Chiampo stream carves arabesquing the rocks.
"Marriage" with nature
Cortesani is the essence of mountain life, with the stigma of tribulated existence, but also the happy "marriage" with Nature. Cortesani, though lapped, with new times, by the demands of progress that the debated Marana-Campodalbero link road brought, is peaceful. A few chimneys still alive, the fresh and unchanged voice of the fountain in the middle of the courtyard, an old vine of lujela grapes clambering there attentively. A few fenàra still endure, a reminder of the old days of the labor and spinning stables.
The church of San Valentino
And above it all, the little church of St. Valentine, a symbol of this people's devotion. A church born from an earlier capitol, coming up for a vow, maintained to psalm in a Latin unwittingly crooked by the power of dialect.
The starting point
A visit to Cortesani is a must for those who want to discover the customs of life in the old days in the upper Valchiampo. For the walking route, one can climb up to the locality of Ferrazza di Crespadoro, the point of convergence between the valleys of the Chiampo stream coming down from Campodalbero and the Corbiolo from Durlo. One can leave the car in the locality of Ferrazza, taking on the right via Zancon and Pozza.
Alternatively, to shorten the route, you can still go up by car. The paved road climbs for about two kilometers, gaining altitude. On foot it takes about half an hour to climb, leaving the Zancon district on the right. For those interested in a small detour, the “Motto del Zancon”, where a cross is placed, offers a nice view.
At the end of the road is the contrada Pozza, an inimitable hermitage of peace. A small road advances between the buildings, lined up with each other offering balconies, vine arbors, the trickle of the ever-present fountain, the rusticity of stone jambs and arches, until it reveals a kind of proscenium between the dwellings.
The oratory
Nestled among the houses is the gem of the wonderful oratory known as the oratory of Matìo Pellizaro (1800-1870), a peasant sculptor who left extraordinary works. His was the extension, with the arched profile inscribed "public oratory" and the two pillars. A plaque reads, "Purity of intention, simplicity of dove, full resignation, humility of heart, perfect obedience, pleased God sacrifice and love and penance a. 1843 Mateo Pelizaro." Mateo sculpted valuable works, including the statue of St. Matthew and St. George (now at the museum in Crespadoro).
The scents of the forest
Past the small church, we proceed, this time along a mule track still marked on maps as a municipal road, up to Cortesani. The path winds among scents of the forest, dry stone walls, terraces now bridled with brambles and plants, a few stone buildings.
From Pozza it takes half an hour to reach Cortesani. Here, among the houses, stands the 18th-century oratory dedicated to St. Valentine, built on an earlier capital. It was built as a vow by the inhabitants because they had survived a fire that destroyed the district.
An inscription on stone commemorates the vow, dated March 30, 1779. In 1904 it had a restoration, with inauguration on February 14, 1905. Be sure to note the arched stone portal. Inside is a fresco, Our Lady of the Rosary with Saints Dominic and Catherine. On the sides, two frescoes with St. George and St. Michael. The bell tower, from 1921, on the day of the martyr of Terni sings feast to the mountains, with sweet notes of devotion, perpetrating a vow that already seems to herald spring, after Cortesani.
(GdV, domenica 25 febbraio)