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