Sersale
Encyclopedia
Sersale is a comune
in the province of Catanzaro
in the Calabria
region of Italy
. As of 2007, Sersale had an estimated population of 4,955.
Sersale was founded in 1620. It was named after a baron
named Francesco Sersale who owned a large amount of land in the area surrounding the present borders of Sersale. Francesco Sersale and his family came from Naples
. There are records of this family in that area from as far back as 1271.
Life was difficult for the "humble classes" of people in those times, and in Serrastretta, things were so bad that a small group opted to leave. Upon hearing that Francesco seemed to be a very just landowner and offered what seemed to be a good deal to the peasant
s who settled there, a small group of colonists walked about 30–50 miles (50–80 km) over rough terrain to start new lives on Francesco's property. After having a fine palace built for himself, he had his workmen build narrow little shacks for the workers to occupy, in full view of his palace. He developed a co-operative system where people could work patches of land, and have to pay him a fee at the end of the year. He encouraged them to plant trees and gardens to feed their families, as the land was good and there was a stream that ran through the area all year round.
The original settlers were all from Serrastretta:
Many descendants of these original settlers still live in Sersale, and of course, many have emigrated to various parts of the world.
After Francesco Sersale died, his land passed into the hands of his descendants who did not share his values. Their greed and disdain for human life caused misery for the settlers. At certain periods, because the children of the owners did not have to work, they caused many problems such as taking advantage of the young girls and getting them pregnant, as well as increasing the fees for land usage incommensurate with the produce of the land. The great-grandchildren of this Baron also lost pieces of land by making bad investments; and this is how eventually the land was owned by many people and the town developed.
Translated from Sersale - Storia di una comunità presilana by Michele Scarpino - Translator, Antonio Torchia.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of Catanzaro
Province of Catanzaro
The Province of Catanzaro is a province of the Calabria region, in Italy. The city of Catanzaro is capital both of the province and of the region.- Demographics :The following is a list of the province of Catanzaro comunes with population over 5,000:...
in the Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
region of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. As of 2007, Sersale had an estimated population of 4,955.
Sersale was founded in 1620. It was named after a baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
named Francesco Sersale who owned a large amount of land in the area surrounding the present borders of Sersale. Francesco Sersale and his family came from Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. There are records of this family in that area from as far back as 1271.
Life was difficult for the "humble classes" of people in those times, and in Serrastretta, things were so bad that a small group opted to leave. Upon hearing that Francesco seemed to be a very just landowner and offered what seemed to be a good deal to the peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
s who settled there, a small group of colonists walked about 30–50 miles (50–80 km) over rough terrain to start new lives on Francesco's property. After having a fine palace built for himself, he had his workmen build narrow little shacks for the workers to occupy, in full view of his palace. He developed a co-operative system where people could work patches of land, and have to pay him a fee at the end of the year. He encouraged them to plant trees and gardens to feed their families, as the land was good and there was a stream that ran through the area all year round.
The original settlers were all from Serrastretta:
- Francesco Giuliano,
- Pietro Torchia,
- Giovanni Girolamo Talarico,
- Giovanni Tommaso Mancusi,
- Marco De Fazio
- Vittorio Torchia,
- Luca Antonio Felice,
- Francesco Mulinaro,
- Giovanni Maria Senatore,
- Giovanni Tommaso Gallo,
- Pietro Giovanni Mazza and
- Marcantonio Defazio, alias Caulo.
Many descendants of these original settlers still live in Sersale, and of course, many have emigrated to various parts of the world.
After Francesco Sersale died, his land passed into the hands of his descendants who did not share his values. Their greed and disdain for human life caused misery for the settlers. At certain periods, because the children of the owners did not have to work, they caused many problems such as taking advantage of the young girls and getting them pregnant, as well as increasing the fees for land usage incommensurate with the produce of the land. The great-grandchildren of this Baron also lost pieces of land by making bad investments; and this is how eventually the land was owned by many people and the town developed.
Translated from Sersale - Storia di una comunità presilana by Michele Scarpino - Translator, Antonio Torchia.