Leafing through the pages of any textbook or geography textbook, Umbria is always cited as the green heart of Italy. Rarely has a definition proved more apt: there is no doubt that the region is the geographical heart of the Bel Paese, and that green is one of its dominant colors.
In Valnerina, those who set out to discover the Castelluccio di Norcia plateau will find green everywhere: in the foaming waters of the mountain streams, in the pastures surrounding the village that has become an icon of Umbria throughout the world, in the shadows of the forests overlooking the Forche Canapine pass, in the heights of the rugged Sibillini Mountains, in the mysteries that surround the Fosso dei Mergani, and in the deafening silence of Mount Vettore. Green, understood as nature and landscape, both in Umbria and in Valnerina, is an important value, closely linked to the human history of a territory that owes its richness and culture to its natural environment. This itinerary, in its deliberate simplicity, is nothing less than a journey far from traditional itineraries, an invitation to discover Castelluccio di Norcia and the Sibillini Mountains, a dive into Umbria’s greenest landscape through a film that became a cult in 1960s Italy.
Adriano Celentano, the shepherd Serafino
It was 1968 when director Pietro Germi chose the breathtaking setting of Castelluccio di Norcia to shoot a film that has gone down in the annals of Italian cinema: Serafino, a film starring Adriano Celentano as the protagonist and Ottavia Piccolo. As had previously happened with the turtleneck, the title of the film also renamed the item of clothing worn by the protagonist during the film. In fact, the term “serafino” also refers to a very specific type of sweater characterized by a rounded neckline and buttons, very common in the clothing worn by shepherds in the Apennines. In 1968, the film by the celebrated Germi, which today holds 20th place in the ranking of the most popular Italian films of all time, was the most seen in Italy, grossing over three billion lire.
Who really was Pastor Serafino?
We imagine, or rather we like to imagine, that everyone has seen this film at least once in their lives. Serafino is a shepherd who wanted and succeeded in maintaining a free lifestyle, not dictated by time or social status, but by the instinct and passion of someone who—to paraphrase a passage from the famous soundtrack performed by Celentano himself—defends his own freedom. In this film too, Celentano plays a character with a cantankerous humor who comes from a simple and genuine background, where reverse nonconformism is lived like a mantra. Once again, the Molleggiato speaks of a distant world, with a nostalgic tone. Celentano, who is ill-suited to industrialization, embodies his best character: a free shepherd in a society that enslaves man. His happiness is there with his flock, high in the mountains. The scene of the expensive car falling off a cliff and catching fire is emblematic: for Serafino, it is not a loss to cry over and despair over, but a spectacle to be happy about, “better than fireworks.”
A tragicomic plot, when auteur cinema told the story of the shepherds’ Apennines
Mountains on the border between Marche and Umbria: young Serafino Fiorin, a carefree shepherd, returns from military service, discharged early for mental retardation. He finds himself heir to all of his aunt Gesuina’s assets and begins generously giving to her friends, giving the impression of squandering the inheritance, much to the dismay of his uncle Agenore, who manages to have him placed under interdiction. This event does not faze Serafino, who, one evening, agrees to spend the night in his cousin Lidia’s room, where, however, his uncle Agenore is waiting, forcing him to accept the marriage to his own daughter. Arriving at the church for the wedding, Serafino annoys the priest and ends up not marrying Lidia. His friends convince him to marry the strange prostitute Asmara, to create a new kind of family with her, suited to his independent spirit.