Historic Appearance: When the observer first moved to this place, there was far more marshland. The area was very wild and very few holiday homes were constructed. She also explains that the biodiversity has plummeted due to habitat loss. The thick varieties of trees, and the extensive marshland allowed for a plethora of diverse animals to live in the area. The area went from a rich wild environment with many niche habitats supporting a variety of life, to a more monotonous environment that only supports a few animals that can effectively adapt to human pollution. She specifies that the loss of these ecologically diverse areas had a massive impact on the bird species which would wander into our property. She vividly notices how the birds would interact with the pine trees that my great grandfather had planted. My grandmother definitely misses these birds and other animals such as hedgehogs that used to scurry across the property.
The observer sees that the economic incentives of the area have shifted from mining and farming to tourism and Artistry. Artistry was always a large part of the history of the area, but it has been accentuated by the large flocks of tourists who come to the area. The increase of tourists has caused a radical change in what sort of stores are prevalent in the area. The shops used to sell all food, clothing and other commodities that were locally made in the area. The shops allowed for people of all economic classes to purchase high quality, locally produced goods. This has changed as the shops now only cater to high earning households. For example, where there used to be the local butcher there now is a Prada. These expensive retail stores reflect the change in the area. Most people who were in Versilia were people who lived and worked there. Now the majority of people who spend money into the local economy, live elsewhere during the winter and come to the region during the summer.
Most people who resided on the land were labourers, whose jobs were to extract resources from the land. This came mainly in the form of miners who toiled arduously to quarry and export the famous Carrara Marble all across the globe. The economy relied heavily on exports of stone and cereals. Although mining and farming still occurs, the land around these industries used to be completely wild. Now that tourism has exploded those areas have been filled in by the construction of pools, villas and the gardens that surround the properties. There was far more of a balance between the people and the ecosystem, as most of the land was left completely untouched by human activities. The marshland acted as a filtration system for the human activity that was occurring up in the mountains and from the farms.
Sadly there is an ever increasing demand of international tourists to the area. The wealth they bring to the region ensures that there is an ever increasing development of the natural land. There are still regions that are completely wild and these have been protected, as national parks. It is my belief that there have to be more areas federally protected to ensure that biodiversity remains. It would be my dream to connect these area together by green highways and paths to minimise the impacts of fragmentation. My grandma recalls a time when the mountains and the sea were connected by thick forestry and I wish to be able to see this one day. They would provide habitation for a diverse group of species and with an increased and interconnected area it would even attract species who require such a landscape. For example, the wild boar that now only reside in the mountains would finally have systems in place to promote their populations.
Ludovico Barattieri 0:00
Could you please introduce yourself and what area we’re gonna be talking about in this interview?
Amalita Pacelli 0:12
Yes. My name is Amalita Pacelli. I am your grandmother. I am 80 years old. And my and I am going to talk about an area in the Tuscany coast, called Versilia, which since 1910, has become very popular as a vacation beach resort for the Italian people. And from the 70s for many European foreigners.
Ludovico Barattieri 0:45
And can I ask you, how long have you been in Versilia?
Amalita Pacelli 0:50
I’ve been almost 65 years, 65 years, because my parents bought a piece of land in the central area, which is called Forte dei Marmi. And they constructed a villa, where all the families stay during this long summer vacations. Me and my brother have wonderful memories of this place as my son and grandchildren in the last few years.
Ludovico Barattieri 1:28
Perfect. And can you describe how the landscape looked like when you were a kid?
Amalita Pacelli 1:36
The weather there was very pleasant, not too hot, sometimes a bit rainy. And the vegetation was blooming and flowering with lots of different kinds of trees. But in time the original vegetation changed, following the taste of the inhabitants. And a lot of pine trees were planted because their shadow and perfume was very pleasant. But soon the people that realised that they required a lot of keeping and they were rooted in the ground very superficially. So if a very strong wind came, they would fall to the ground easily. We had in our garden 50 very tall pine trees, which were planted almost 100 years ago.
Ludovico Barattieri 2:39
And you’re telling me that they all fell down?
Amalita Pacelli 2:42
Yes, because now the weather has changed dramatically. And in 2015, a terrible storm hit the area with the high winds and in one night in a few hours, all the pine trees in our garden fell down with thousands of fathers in the surrounding gardens, and public areas all over the territory. Other types of trees didn’t seem to be affected as much, especially the types who were used to be in the territory since the old times. So the panorama changed dramatically.
Ludovico Barattieri 3:32
And, sorry, do you know what type of trees those were so the trees that you say were from the old times? Do you know what types?
Amalita Pacelli 3:39
from the old times I don’t know very much the English name
Ludovico Barattieri 3:46
Say it in Italian and I can can translate it in the video Nonna.
Amalita Pacelli 3:50
The Lecci, Quercie and many others that were similar to these and they’re still standing these, but not the pine trees, which for the most part fell down.
Ludovico Barattieri 4:12
okay.
Amalita Pacelli 4:14
Having changed the vegetation. Also the wild animals have almost disappeared. Because for example, the woodpeckers liked very much to go on to the pine trees. And so these kind of wild birds like woodpeckers, nocturnal owls, are not there anymore. Instead, there’s increase of very annoying pigeons and seagulls since search of food discarded by the human population, which has increased dramatically in the last few years,
Ludovico Barattieri 5:08
which I know that you love to feed. Which I know that you love to feed the seagulls.
Amalita Pacelli 5:15
Yes, I know, I used to love them. But as soon as they understood that there was food in my garden, they came very near me. And one day they began to… they came to my feet and they began to…
Ludovico Barattieri 5:47
peck you!
Amalita Pacelli 5:49
To peck you, to peck me! And so at that point I was very, very deep, disappointed by their bad education. And little by little with the help of your father’s dog they disappeared. Now let’s talk about the human population.
Ludovico Barattieri 6:12
One more question. So what kind of people what was so the landscape you’re telling me is changing to more holiday homes? But prior to that, what was it was it agricultural, or was it as wild land?
Amalita Pacelli 6:27
No, before the twentieth century, Versilia was a big marsh, inhabited by poor people who used to work in the fields and mostly in the marble caves up in the mountains. It was a dangerous job, because they used to mine the quarries. And they put the big slabs of marble on carriages, thrown by oxen down the slopes of the mountain, and through the blade, until they reach the sea, where the big slabs were put on board of strong ships. And from there, they would reach distant countries. Then, marsh was reclaimed. And all the Italians discovered this beautiful land where they could spend their leisure time and be happy together. So at the beginning of the 20th century, many artists and wealthy families constructed a lot of houses and villas, and the panorama and the vegetation changed. Let’s say for the better, the little villages became elegant holiday resorts, and the people began to use bicycles, and have fun at the beach and then leave the car at all. Then, after 2000. The Russians arrived. The Russians bought many houses and villas, and from that everything changed. The old shops in Forte dei Marmi, Viareggio, and Pietrasanta closed for the high rents, due to the lavish spending of these people. And from there, all the Guccis and Pradas came over. And many hotels, restaurants, high priced night clubs, flourished near the beaches, and every home was supposed to have a private pool. as a consequence of all these things, the climate change and now, during the month of June, July and August, no rain has to be seen in the area and the temperature has gone up. That means that we need a lot of artificial irrigation to keep the vegetation and the temperature at the levels of 30 years ago. So there are many differences now in the climates, in the shops, and in most of all these things are caused by the overcrowded population during the summer months, which has changed the simple and easy go in type of life for 50 years ago.
Ludovico Barattieri 9:55
Perfect thank you very much for this interview
Amalita Pacelli 9:58
Thank you for letting me do this thing.
Ludovico Barattieri 9:58
And it was a splendid to hear you and your 65 years of of knowledge Thank you very much
Amalita Pacelli 10:10
Thank you Ludovico.