Rosalba De Carlo

The countryside had always been our place for holidays. We spent in Santa Barbara, the feudal residence, the warmest months of the year and we also went there for Christmas and Easter. My family, the old-fashioned large family with children, uncles and grandparents all dressed up, used to go to those places that today I remember nostalgically.

Our daily lifestyle was characterized by a genuine simplicity: a baked pasta, or a basket of fresh bread was enough to transform an ordinary day into a lifelong memory.
Santa Barbara was my Grandparents feudal estate, it was a very small village situated between the towns of Galatina and Coperino.
During the winter I lived with my parents and my six brother and sisters in Copertino, few kilometers from Santa Barbara. My grandparents wanted to spend more time with us grandchildren, so they lived in the countryside almost permanently. We were glad to spend our holidays with them.
Spending Christmas time in the countryside was absolutely marvelous. The charm of that place came from the people who lived there: there wasn’t only my family, but also the farmers and their families, a lot of children and dogs, cows, sheep , cats, hens and chicks. My grandfather had an Indian blackbird, that could speak some words and was able to whistle a mysterious tune.
They were humble, but also generous and good people. Their children played on the streets with walnuts: the one who was able to throw the walnut nearer to the wall, won the game and could bring home all the dried fruits.