The tragic loss of Mr. Salvatore had left a lasting impact on the entire Salvatore family and the vineyards, casting a profound and memorable sorrow on the surroundings.
However, one person, Rosa, seemed to have found closure, having discovered solace in her love and
affection for Alessandro.
Alessandro had, in effect, become the first male heir to the Salvatore family, as was customary in Sicilian tradition. According to this tradition, the betrothed of one of the elder daughters would be accepted as the first son of the family, should the father have left no male offspring before his passing.
Alessandro himself had become increasingly familiar with Sicilian traditions, whose vibrant music and dance had inspired him. Moreover, more formidable genres of music had emerged in Sicily.
The town, renowned for its abundance of grapes, wines and fruit cakes, had rapidly evolved into a thriving hub of artistic expression. Dance and other forms of art had become an integral part of the island's culture, passionately observed throughout Sicily.
The Salvatore family's heritage of grape farming and wine production had yielded bountiful y.
Aged Giuliana, although frail at three scores and four years old, remain the vintner and matriarch of their vast and prosperous farmlands.
Giuliana, the aged vintner, distributed chores and
responsibilities among her children. Carmela, the bryd, was Giuliana's most precious daughter of al . Giulia, the eldest of the daughters, remained unmarried, a fate shared by many young Sicilian women. -" Men are like autumn leaves, they come and go', was a common saying among Sicilian girls. 'It's likely their charming looks had chased the gods away! For in medieval Italy, Sicily was renowned for boasting the fairest maidens of al .
Sicily is an autonomous region situated off the southern coast of the Italian mainland, separated from it by the strait of Messina. It is located in the central Mediterranean sea. The Sicilian townspeople were skilled in fishing and grape farming, with wine production being a key economic activity throughout the Sicilian countryside.
Mt. Etna, an active volcano in Sicily, boasts a unique and rugged landscape. However, the surrounding areas feature a divers range of flora, including beautiful flowers that fil the air with sweet fragrance leaving its inhabitants in awe.
Giuliana sat pensively in the house, gazing at her ripening basil garden through the finestra. She had
planted it many years ago, long before Carmela's birth.
Carmela had grown into a fair, timid, yet enchanting young woman.
As the bryd, Giuliana's influence had shaped Carmela's childhood and demeanour, setting her apart from other Sicilian girls her age. Unlike them, Carmela was an adventurous and lively maiden. In person, Carmela was a delight to behold; her cheerful and outspoken nature had earned her praise among her peers.
One evening, Maffeo, an old friend, stopped by at the home of the Salvatores
and beheld Giuliana and her daughters sitting around the caminu; the fireplace, in the local Sicilian dialect.
Maffeo, with a subtile blend of humour and caution upon his face, greeted Giuliana as he settled into a wooden chair adorned with purple fabrics and a yel owish scarf knobbed onto it. The chair was positioned underneath a high window, just a few steps away from the blazing caminu.
"That chair was given to me as a little present when I gave birth to Rosa', said Giuliana. " It was a handmade gift by my late husband', she added.
"Old chairs outlive old friends", Maffeo interrupted. -
An awkward silence fel across the room, settling like a pal . The wood crackled, illuminating the entire caminu and a warm, golden glow. Embers and ash danced on the furnace wal , momentarily scorching the surrounding area.
Maffeo continued, quoting proverbs, 'Salvatore, my good old friend!' There's not a vintner to muster thy tender grapes, hither!'. If only the lions had not gone to roam in the fields, would the foxes abide in dens so sloth?". Everyone was in awe of Maffeo's words and wondered what they meant.
Then, Maffeo pul ed out a sample of grapes from his sack bag gazing upon them in the palm of his hand for a while, al owing everyone to take a ful glance at the fruits.
Giuliana marveled at Marfeo's words and was curious to know their meaning.
But Marfeo began to interpret the proverbs in a comprehensive manner.
'Giuliana, your husband is gone, and now the locusts and wild bees have come upon our land to take their tol .
They will destroy the vineyards in our fields and leave their scars on the vines that are the fruit of our labourers' toil. These words sank deeply into the hearts of Giuliana and her daughters, and it seemed as though Maffeo himself had experienced the loss of a vineyard.
Maffeo finished speaking and slowly gazed at Giuliana, who was visibly troubled, her face pale and shaken.
And just at the edge of silence, came in Gaius the son of Maffeo, mounting the staircase leading to the caminu where everyone was sitting, he courteously greeted Giuliana, Maffeo and the rest.
He then poignantly stared at Giulia without blink in his eyes, an emotional gesture which drew Carmel's attention. Carmela, interrupting his gaze inquired anxiously: "What is it Gaius?, I saw you staring at Giulia for a while, did she look strange; did you bring for us a set of bracelets, the ones you made for mama?', Gaius chuckled, amused by the maiden's words playful y withdrawing his eyes from Giulia's, who was tiredly relinquished on Giuliana's arm, sitting on the wool-made sofa.
Gaius knew he had to ignore Carmela who took a keen observation of every guests from the beginning.
However, rumours of locusts and pestilence circulated the Sicilian Island. And at dusk, flights of insects sailed across the sky, their tiny wings painted the evening sky, with a kaleidoscope of black and spots of blue, casting a paranormal glow. The ripple effect had an agonising impact on the Salvatores vineyards and the family. The pests were devouring the medical plantations, and the local pharmacists laid down their tools in search for food, leading to obligatory hard labor.
Famine was raged throughout the Island, yet some dutiful herdsmen traveled to the Italian mainland in pursuit of wheat and maize to feed their cattles.