On July 5, with our amazing group leader Anna Swan, we explored the town of Gissi, known as the "Crystal of Abruzzo" due to its houses being built from selenite and gypsum rocks, which reflect light and make the town shine if you look at it from a certain angle. Gissi is a town of about 3,000 people located very close to where we used to live in Casalanguida. In fact, we could see it from our patio!
The hills surrounding Gissi are rich in gypsum deposits, a mineral composed of calcium sulfate. This easily extractable and workable material became an important resource for the village. Over the centuries, Gissi became a center for gypsum production and processing, harnessing this natural resource. The stone, from which many of the buildings are built, is full of minerals that glisten & shine in the sunshine. A plaster is made from the stone being ground down/ burnt at around 100°c with water added. When a good vein of this mineral was found, it was used as glass for the windows.
Antonio, a local researcher with the local group "I Lupo del Gesso", and expert on Gissi history and gypsum, walked us through the historic streets, open houses and private cellars made from gypsum. Anna carefully translated for us. Antonio and his colleagues are digging deep and uncovering hundreds of artifacts to find the history of the town. Some of the buildings are centuries old. Antonio showed us underground caverns carved into the rock in the Middle Ages and led us into the cantinas/ basements of old properties where people lived centuries ago, before they started to build upwards. We saw items people had left and imagined how the families would have lived.
One room still had a bottle of Vino Cotto, which is thought to be a few hundred years old! There was a tradition that, when a girl was born, the family would put some wine into a bottle. Each year, on the girl’s birthday, they would add more wine. When she married, the wine would be drunk. (I wonder how good it was…??)
We climbed to the top of the remains of the local castle. I admit I was a bit nervous about venturing up the rocky path. But Antonio assured me I’d be alright, and it was definitely worth the effort. The views were spectacular.
We also visited a small museum to learn more about the local gypsum economy that thrived in the town for centuries. Arturo, who runs the museum, told us about Gissi’s traditions, showed us a film about the history of Gissi, and showed us kitchen utensils from the 19th century and other fascinating exhibits that he has been collecting for many years.
Anna’s tours always end with a big hearty meal and good Abruzzo wine. This tour was no disappointment. We all gathered at the Ristorante La Griglia, which has an amazing view of the countryside. Mike and I had been there before, with our friend Maria from Casalanguida. This time, we met and had a chance to talk with some interesting people of various backgrounds, some of whom were permanent residents, others on vacation, and others who do the “Schengen Shuffle” (90 days here, 90 days outside of the Schengen zone).
As always, here's a link to photos: CLICK HERE
So, now we wait for Anna to put together another tour. I wonder what she will come up with?
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