A Village among dense forests in the Zeri Valley
The village of Bosco di Rossano is located in the southern part of the municipality of Zeri.
Of water, stone and the green of small cultivated areas and dense forests between Zeri and the Vara Valley. Bosco di Rossano is a handful of houses in the upper valley of the Teglia stream.
The stone is that of the houses, the slabs that cover the roofs, the paving stones that cover the courtyards, the millstones, and the steep bed of the stream, which is always rich in water. The “Canale del Bosco” has a significant flow, a deep course over which the village has always overlooked, in symbiosis with it, in an isolation that led its people to emigrate all over the world.
Bosco has indeed experienced seasons of overpopulation and departures: the Americas in the second half of the 19th century, Europe in the last century; Uruguay and France are the places abroad where strong ties remain.
In the village, there are no signs of abandonment, which are unfortunately common in many of our communities. Here, the buildings are well-preserved, ready to awaken, to open doors and windows once again to welcome those who return.
The summers are still populated, and the feast on August 17th, in honor of Saint Pellegrino, is still awaited and celebrated, a true symbol of belonging, just like the church-oratory at the center of the village. On its façade is an emblematic plaque: “This Church was enlarged by the People in the year 1862.”
Life in Bosco is not easy; the isolation is strong. Water is a precious, vital element; its force, for centuries, has powered the mills for grinding rye and chestnuts.
But it has also been an enemy: the flood of autumn 2011 hit here hard, disrupting the land and dragging away structures that had resisted for a long time. Now, the wounds have healed, although a bridge and a mill are no longer there, and in Vruga, the mountain village once a destination for long summer work stays high above the village, there is no longer a need to climb, and only a few traces remain of the “casoni,” which once housed the command of a partisan unit.
Nearby you can find
Monte Spiaggi, Cascata della Colombara, Zum Zeri.
Lunigiana World thanks our friend Paolo Bissoli for the text about the village of Bosco of Rossano.
