2017 - Tenna Valley Trail
The Tenna Valley Trail 17 – 21 May 2017
A small but select group travelled to Servigliano for this year’s trail event. Held against the backdrop of the recent earthquakes we were initially uncertain that the event would go ahead,. but the local communities were insistent that they were ‘open for business’. This despite the fact that a number of villages had suffered grievous damage and were effectively closed, even to their occupants. We all met on the Wednesday evening at the museum in Servigliano where we were welcomed by the Mayor followed by a short film made by Guiseppe Milozzi about a group of allied airmen who had been cared for by the inhabitants of a small hamlet high in the mountains. Guiseppe had managed to track down the son of one of the escapers who then returned to the village to meet some of those who were children when his father had been there. During his interview one of the older women asked the question “Why did no one ever come back?” A question I suspect that many have asked. Well ELMS is doing its best to try and put that omission right by supporting a growing interest among young Italians keen to know just what their forebears did do!
Thursday dawned bright and hot and after the usual wreath laying ceremony in the centre of Servigliano the party set off for Monte San Martino. There was one planned stop along the way at the farmhouse of a local family where the group were royally entertained to a delicious meal of locally produced vegetarian food.
Some time later they managed to stagger their way up the hill and into the main square of Monte San Martino where we laid a wreath at their memorial! The format of the trail has been changed and after the wreath laying ceremony the group returned by bus to Servigliano. That evening we attended a presentation given by one of the local people whose family had been involved in sheltering allied POWs on the run. His simple but moving description reminded all those present just what the Italian population had risked for people who had until very recently been their enemies!
Friday was another hot day and the group headed for Penna San Giovanni, not far as the crow flies but as the photo shows quite a climb. During breaks on the way Ian Macarthy, our local ELMS rep, quoted excerpts from a diary written by a US evader who had eventually joined a group of partisans.
Lunch was taken at the top after which everyone returned to Servigliano and was able to enjoy an evening meal either at the hotel or one of the restaurants in town. For those interested in Italian food this was an opportunity to enjoy some excellent local cuisine and wine and we certainly did our bit to support the local economy!
Saturday was overcast and threatened rain at some time. We were joined for the day by a group of Italian students from the high school in Fermo and the day began with a presentation in the museum after which the group set off towards Montelparo and surrounding villages. The threatened rain arrived in torrents and a very wet and bedraggled group finally arrived at their lunch stop having walked through a quite alarming thunderstorm. However spirits were high among those that persevered as their and our forebears would have done many years ago. There was a short wreath laying ceremony at the monument to Sidney Smith and after lunch the group returned to Servigliano.
Sunday is a day of scheduled visits and after further presentations at the museum the party set off in the direction of Fermo to visit the area of Ken de Souza’s escape and Camp 70. The party then moved onto the Villa Salvadore and were hosted by the delightful Clara and the group were royally entertained with food and music. The group returned to Servigliano and enjoyed a farewell dinner in the Hotel San Marco, before an early start for home on Monday. This year was another successful visit to a country where all too often we forget the part played by the local population in helping many of our ancestors. As our visit followed after the devastating earthquakes we also took with us a number of small hampers containing typically English goods which our director distributed amongst families who had been identified as playing a part in helping Allied POWs. The Tenna Trail has become a firm fixture in the trail calendar and we look forward to returning next year.