The boys from Sant’Elena Sannita

The boys from Sant’Elena Sannita Sant’Elena Sannita: Few houses all various one another, here lie around two hundred and fifty spirits, and a bronze statue that represents a knife grinder of the past. After Isernia, at the crossroads of Boiano, He turns and goes up, it is just like it was. Here is Sant’Elena Sannita, a relief stretched above a land of seven hundred and fifty meters in altitude.

At the end of The Second World War, Celestino Durante, goes back from the vicissitude of the conflict. Even with a few memory in appearance, He covers those curves to hug Dad, Giuseppe and Mamma Lucia. That village still consist up to two thousand and five hundred people. Harvesting and cattle farming had been and are the only economic resources and also life for the majority of the Santelenese community; but many of those boys also had a great workmanship. With their hands, scissors, knives, and any other sharp instruments to cut may look as new. Celestino take every little thing He has, and with Luisa, who becomes his wife, they decide to leave to Rome.

Many join him. Everyone with their own ways and dreams, each one of them equipped their needs with a bicycle, the more fortunate one begins to cross around the city with a scooter. In a very short time the boys of Sant’Elena succeed to make their talent worth it. The bicycles with many sacrifices in times are transformed in stores, at the same time their beloved wheels are stored in the warehouse, they begin to display soap in order to be sold by weight, lotions for hairs and some colognes:

The years pass and the names of those boys are displayed in the most beautiful streets of Rome. The santelenesi knife grinders are now the most important perfume makers of the etenal city. Celestino and Luisa are now grandparents, They leave Giuseppe, Luciano, Maria and Felice to continue their business and to believe in them self. The commerce changes, so does the perfume market, pursue the globalization and the uniformity.

The Durante siblings do not acknowledge these contexts, they are felt used and no longer free in doing their job, and in 1996 they create “PRO- FUMUM”…..But this is another story…. The one you hold in your hands is a small part of this story If you go to Sant’Elena, and pass in front of the great bronze statue that represents a knife grinder operant, stop for a while. There lie our roots.

PAOLO FADELLI for Giuseppe, Luciano, Maria and Felice Durante