One of the last hermits left in Italy

USPA NEWS - After a long period of research we found the traces of a hermit, he is probably the last hermit left in Italy, so we decided to go and find him. We walked through the woods for a long time, and when everything seemed lost we saw a person with his sheep grazing. We got closer and after a few smiles and a friendly greeting he welcomed us as if we had known each other forever or if we were his brothers, then he hosted us in his minimal and humble home giving us a fantastic day.

Talking to him he told us that he was born in 1948 and at 30 he was moved away from home by his parents and so he retired to the mountains, now he leads a solitary life raising sheep, in addition to the flock he also has a donkey named Palmo, he has it so named because it was born on Palm Sunday, this affectionate donkey serves him to work the land and transport the products he grows downstream. His home and built with huge blocks of rock is located on a slope and is set in a fantastic forest, this area is so called in the dialect Bergamasco Runcàt, which means, "obtained from the forest". This hermit has always led a life as a prehistoric man, has no electricity, and is without any other kind of comfort. His water supply is made daily in a natural spring that gushes out about 50 meters from his refuge. To cook and warm up during the winter months he uses a rudimentary self-built hearth. Every object, even the simplest, is made with his own hands and a lot of inventiveness and in some cases he also uses waste materials for the realization of his tools. Its machines are very effective and functional, and for this reason it could give advice and lessons on "eco-sustainable life and technology" to all of us. This hermit for almost 40 years has settled and adapted to this difficult mountain area making it his kingdom.

He has a very simple diet, he eats a bit of everything, the vegetables and the meat of the animals he produces, one of his specialties is sheep's ham, in rare cases he receives visits from friends and acquaintances bring him some prepared food with care for the occasion and a few bottles of wine. He has no clocks or alarm clock, in fact he gets up at dawn and as soon as the sun goes down he goes to bed. He wears patched clothes that he personally weaves using the wool of his sheep, after shearing the sheep he spins the wool with an ingenious spinning machine, then he weaves with a hand loom.

He has a long unkempt beard. As a boy he had a passion for photography in fact he worked for a few years as a photographer and made wedding photos and this helped us a lot because knowing the value of photography he let himself be photographed without problems. His life path has entrusted him entirely to destiny always following his own instinct that led him to take care of his flocks of sheep in the silence of the surrounding nature while enjoying the wonders of nature in peace. This calm stimulates his imagination and so he started writing poetry.

His donkey is called Palmo, because he was born on a Palm Sunday, while all his sheep that have names of motorcycle brands and MotoGP riders. He has no clocks or an alarm clock, his days are marked by sunlight: in fact, he gets up at dawn and goes to bed at dusk. For the weather forecast, do not consult any app or online sites, but observe the movement and direction of the clouds. "If they go north it means that it will be bad weather, if they go south it will have good weather, if there are no clouds ... well, it means that there is the sun."

Photo reportage and interview with the hermit made by Roberto Magni and Daniela Comi By Foto ReD Photographic Agency Bologna Motorvalley Italy