Where I was born and grew up, May 6th is a special day of remembrance. On this date, in 1976, there was an earthquake that devastated this land, destroying the buildings but not the spirit of a people who, the very next day, had already rolled up their sleeves and begun to rebuild everything.
The great examples of rebirth are clearly visible in Gemona and Venzone, yet just near the latter town there is a small village where the clock has stopped on that evening.
The inhabitants, in fact, rebuilt new houses not far away in an area safer from possible landslides, leaving behind what remains of the old houses in a real “ghost town”. Now silence reigns in this place, but the rumble of that May 6 still permeates every single wall left standing.
Being there, even just passing through, creates a real compression of time, reminding us how small we humans are compared to the force of nature.
Listen to that evening noises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBO4H9DnTxw