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The mountain is called Bulgaria. Below it is the city of Bulgarian cells. There is no mistake. This is the area of ​​Cilento, Southern Italy, South of Salerno. And the town really is called Celle di Bulgheria.


Chelle di Bulgheria from the Mount Bulgheria


Kareli:

- Because in the past there was a significant presence of Bulgarians here.

Typical for Italy: a local doctor is keen on history. And now he's talking about the 6th and 7th centuries after Christ.

Kareli:

- The Bulgarians come here after the Lombard conquests of Alboin in central and Northern Italy, or during the wars with the Goths, or with the notorious Alzek. The name "Bulgaria" is not preserved only in Celle, but in other regions in Southern Italy there are many towns of Bulgarian origin: Acua Pena, Roca, Lotrano.


Alzek Monument in Chelle di Bulgheria, opened 2016(two years after the article was published)

The doctor took a picture with Rayko Nikolov, the first Bulgarian ambassador to visit the Celle di Bulgheria in the distant 86th. And today, here is his son Marin Raykov, also Bulgarian ambassador to Rome.

Kareli:

- This virtual, romantic connection with Bulgaria and the moment that we share and experience today are a wonderful wish for the future. They give hope.

Amantea:

- Mostly because of our common roots, we need to strength our ties. And not only in history and culture. The economy is also important.

In fact, Amantea is a police commissioner. He was appointed mayor because the city council of Celle di Bulgeria split into two and could not choose a holder. Politics, clash and passion. We are in Southern Italy.

Amantea:

"As one comedian says, there's always someone south of you." So there are no southerners and northerners. It's all about somebody south.

The church is called "Saint Sofia". The cells in the word Celle come with the Greek monks who came by sea and met Bulgarian mercenaries here.



Kareli:

- After the fifth century, with the fall of the Roman Empire, people left and nature took over everything. If the Bulgarians had not come, life would not have awakened in these places. Swallowing oxygen but combined with violence and cruelty. Because the Bulgarians were like the Lombards - aggressive. Such is the character of the people of Cilento today. There was a lot of robbery in these places.

"I'm a robber", is sung in song by Cilento. The doctor recounts how, in 1828, a priest from the Celle di Bulgeria rebelled against the Bourbons. But the rebels were defeated. They cut off their heads and made them a pyramid. Thirty years later, the skulls met Garibaldi.


Monte Bulgheria mountain

Kareli:

“They were still standing there in the metal cage. The scene was very tragic: ants and worms crawled and gnawed flesh off their heads ... Paradoxically, the people sympathized more with the Bourbon rulers of Naples than with the rebels. The people are closing in on the houses, thus ruining the rebellion.

But the ominous story does not spoil the pleasure of local cuisine. It looks like ours. The specialty is mozzarella with mortar: a myrtle-like spice. There are sausages, meats, fish, salads and even something like a gouche.

Chef:

- This is the famous Mediterranean diet. It`s very healthy.

Paestum, Poseidonia of Myths. Cellé di Bulgheria is a throwaway spot from ancient Greek colonies in Italy. The philosophers Parmenides and Zeno were born nearby. But Cilento's modern history is linked to poverty. In the 19th century, half of the people of Celle emigrated. Even today, work is difficult. Although the city is trying. They have raised a modern infocenter for a European project. They make movies, computers and leaflets.

Kareli:

- From an economic point of view, Chelle di Bulgheria is in crisis. People emigrate, mainly to Northern Europe. We, as Bulgarians, are a nation of emigrants.

Amantea:

- Today, Chelle di Bulgheria has 1900 inhabitants. Young people cannot find a job and leave. My dream is to restore the population. Then increase and work here.

Kareli:

- Italy is in a terrible crisis, Italy is gone. If we look at things pessimistically, we will find that Italy does not exist as a single consciousness: it is still divided into North, Central and South. Crime is a problem. Sicily, Calabria, Puglia, Campania are governed by the Mafia, 40% of the Italian economy is in the hands of crime.

The people of Chelle gather in the cinema hall to hear how it is in other Bulgaria. One even says: May our ancestor develop better. It raises questions to the Bulgarian ambassador; so thirty years ago they welcomed his father. People are friendly: they want to know each other.

Marin Raykov:

- Today no one is surprised that there is a Garibaldi monument in the center of Sofia. Our nations know each other well. Relationships in the past are a solid basis today - in politics, economics, tourism, culture, but also in personal relationships. We need to open ourselves spiritually to one another in order to know each other better.

The Doctor does not forget the story: a lesson for young people who are not very interested in the past. He made a presentation. Shows how many places in Italy carry Bulgarian names. Finally, the conversation goes back to Alzek, the leader of the Proto-Bulgarians in Italy. There are only a few words for him in the chronicle of Paul the Deacon. But it was he, says the mayor, who came down from the saddle and settled here.


Garibaldi Monument in Sofia

Amantea:

- Since there is a Garibaldi monument in Sofia, why not build a monument to Alzek here in Chelle?

On the end, the mayor adds: if you preserve the memory, you will preserve the culture. Memory has left us with two names: Monte Bulgheria and Celle di Bulgheria, the mountain and the city. We can think of ourselves.

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On a visit in Chelle di Bulgheria, reportage from Southern Italy for the Bulgarian National Television.



Source: https://www.bnt.bg/bg/a/156874