An abandoned village in the south of Italy. It's been 50 years since these houses were last occupied. Pente Dattilo is one of many ghost towns in Calabria, but perhaps it's just too beautiful to be abandoned completely.
Rosela Aquilante has lived in these barren hills for the past 40 years. She still tends to her goats every morning, but for the past two years she's no longer been alone. Now she has Maka Tuncara at her side.
Pretty pretty pretty. If you live in the countryside you need animals, especially if you want to be self-sufficient. They're important for us and for the land. They provide us with food. They need something to live on themselves, but they give so much back.
But Rosela is now 63 and can no longer manage all the work on her own. Maka came just at the right time. Rosela met him two years ago at a refugee shelter. She'd long been on the lookout for someone to help her, but hadn't found anyone willing to live and work with her in this remote location.
Maka is great. He's so kind, very respectful, and not afraid of hard work. He also knows what he's doing, and in fact he actually likes being here because it's so much like his own country, so he feels at home. We work really well together.
The Calabria region is suffering from a prolonged drought. Maka sometimes walks with the goats for half a day to find food for them. Moving from place to place and working hard in search of a better future is a way of life that Maka is no stranger to. When he left Mali, he got by doing odd jobs, first in Algeria, then in Niger, and then in Libya. But his goal was to get to Europe. After six years, he finally made it on to a refugee boat that took him across the Mediterranean to Sicily. Later he came to Calabria.
I like it here. It's nice, but the problem is that there's nobody here. No one lives here. It's just the two of us in Penta Dattilo, so it's not easy. There are hardly any jobs in Calabria and few prospects. Youth unemployment stands at 37%, the highest in Italy. Many just want to leave. But for Maka, this very place has provided the opportunity he was looking for.
Osella, meanwhile, has carried home the fresh goat milk. Back to the village where no one else lives. Penta Dattilo is one of 20 so-called ghost towns in Calabria. Italy's poorer south is strewn with deserted villages.
When Rosela first came to Penta Dattilo, the village had already been uninhabited for 10 years. That was back in 1983 when she was in her early 20s and searching for a life of freedom and independence.
This house will collapse soon. The roof is already gone. When I arrived here, the house was all still intact. There was another here too.
这所房子很快就会倒塌。屋顶已经没有了。我来到这里的时候,整座房子还是完好的。这里还有另一个。
The village of Penta Dattilo dates back to the year 640 BC. After several landslides, the village was finally abandoned in the early 1970s. All the remaining residents had to leave their homes. But Rosela came with the intention of staying right from the start. She gave up her job as a postal worker near Milan and left her old life behind her.
Many people are shocked when they hear that I live in an abandoned village. Many are so afraid of being lonely. They even fear silence. But others admire me because I lead such a simple life. And somehow I'm keeping this place alive. Otherwise it would really be a ghost town.
On the slopes around the village, Rosela harvests wild herbs. She calls this area her secret garden. I can't say what drove me to come here. There are some things where even 40 years later you still wonder why you did them.
But what I like about this place most is the incredible environment. Every moment is a moment of ecstasy, of meditation because it's so beautiful. Maybe I came back here to inspire young people to work with their hands again. I've always found it satisfying to work hard, to sweat, and then see the fruits of my labor afterwards.
But the drought of recent years has made her life more difficult. She couldn't have a vegetable garden that needs a lot of water. And so Rosela has learned to live from the little that nature provides her with. Casa Rosela. This is her home. When she first moved here, she persuaded the previous owners to sell her the house for a good price.
This time for lunch. Garlic, rocket salad, and some dandelion. Rosela doesn't need much more. We do have pasta. I'll mix in the sad-looking vegetables, which is all I can harvest in this desert landscape, and add a few old potatoes. Makas room is right next door. He has his own cooking facilities and has prepared some meat and liver from one of the goats, served with a spicy sauce and couscous. Italian cuisine is still not really his thing.
I love cooking. With Mali and food is the best. Makas is almost obsessed with cooking. I always tell him, you were a real chef. I think it's also a way for him to reconnect with his homeland and the familiar tastes of home. Makas, hurry up. I'm ready. You too? I'm down. They may cook separately, but they still eat together. Conversation at the table is limited. Makas can't yet speak enough Italian. But I want to try mine. I want to try it. No? No, no. We often disagree. He wants to do things his way, and I want to do them my way. He's young and I'm old. That's life.
At some stage, the older generation has to make way for the young. Does school start again today? They may not share their food or always agree, but Rosela and Makas have decided they'll be there for one another. I think Rosela also says that I feel at home here. That's why I give my all when I'm working. For me, it's like working for my own mother. So I do my best. It's an arrangement that benefits them both. Makas has a work contract, wages, and a new home, and Rosela can continue living here in her own personal paradise because of his help.
By so week, Maka rides his bike to a neighboring town where he's learning Italian. He never got to go to school in Mali. But first he has to carry his bike until he reaches a road. I like going to school. Education gives you freedom and independence. Sometimes I still feel lonely here because I don't speak the language well. It's difficult to communicate. I hope that by going to school I will understand more and more Italian and things will change. After Maka landed in Sicily in 2018, he spent two years being moved from one refugee shelter to another. His residency status has still not been clarified to this day. But here in Calabria, Maka has regained some of his freedom.
You never know what to expect when he come to a new place. Maybe it would be the same if a European who had only a vague idea of Mali went to live there. It's usually not what you thought. And that's how it was for me. The evening classes are free of charge and a real opportunity for Maka. Knowledge of Italian and a permanent job with Rosela are exactly what he needs to be granted an official visa. Maka really needs to learn Italian and get a driver's license. Then he can decide what he wants to do with his life. And he needs these basics, especially the language. I think that's the most important thing right now.
After that we'll have to see. At the end of the summer, Rosela prepares supplies to carry them through the winter. We only have to buy a very few things, because we produce most of our food ourselves. And thanks to the goats, we always have meat, milk and cheese. I try to be as self-sufficient as possible, because I don't like going to the supermarket. I never know what to buy when I see all those polished vegetables and packaging. I feel really uncomfortable. Instead she preserves everything herself. First, she marinates the summer vegetables and brine for two weeks. Then she mixes the oburgines, carrots and peppers with fresh herbs and lots of olive oil. The olive oil is such a blessing. Now I use my hands. I prefer to do it with my hands. And has all the goodness and energy of the summer sun in it that will help warm us up in winter. It's beautiful.
Many have been fascinated by Rosela and her way of life. They wanted to join her in this ghost town, but none of them stayed for long. I can't imagine any other life. There's nothing that I would change. And thank God I had the great fortune of meeting Makka, who makes it possible for me to continue. I've had friends in the past who would say, let's live here together, let's set up a community. But in the end, I was always on my own again, because they didn't have the willpower or the courage to follow through.
Just behind the village is the old olive grove. Some of the trees that are here now were bought by Rosela many years ago. Rosela and Makka aren't expecting a bumper harvest because of the drought. Another problem is that the goats like to nibble at the trees. But Rosela doesn't let any of it get her down.
You see how good it is here? The air that we're breathing is so clean. I'm sure it's windy sometimes, but I feel so alive. I can feel nature and I never get tired of it. What do you think? Is that okay? They've spread out the net so Makka can now start to rake the olives from the trees. He did this job while in Libya. Back then he was harvesting olives to raise money for the traffickers and the refugee boat. My fiance is waiting for me in Mali. I can't bring her here as it would just be too expensive. Instead Makka sends most of the money that he earns back to Mali.
In this way he's supporting his mother and enabling his fiance to study. It's important that she studies. I don't have that option. But in the end, it's good for both of us. I'm supporting her now and she will help me in the future. Are you ready Makka? Yes. Shall we start? Yes. It's time for him to do his homework. Makka never learned to read and write. Now he wants to make up for lost time and learn Italian too. And for that, he needs Rosella's help.
What's an object? What's this here? A pencil. Exactly the pencil is an object. I got so emotional when he started reading. I felt like a mother when her son starts to spell. It happens little by little and that's how it was with Makka until he got to the point where he was able to read. She's been helping me so much since I came here. She helps me with school too. Next to her, I can now read and write a little bit. I can now write my own name too.
Once a year Pente Dattilo is awakened from its slumber. It's all thanks to this man, Imanuele Milazi. He grew up just a few kilometers from here and remembers the ghost town from his youth. He would come here secretly with friends and they would scare each other by telling horror stories.
Rosella. It's been so long. How you've grown. That's because I have a daughter now but you're the same as ever. I forgot no tell you are. The sun is beautiful. We need rain. No, it's the festival. Okay in two days. Three. Imanuele works as a screenwriter in Milan. He left Calabria to go to university and pursue his dream. But he's never forgotten his roots, and every year he organizes an international short film festival in Pente Dattilo. Visitors from all over the world will be on this terrace during the film festival. Pente Dattilo will come alive again.
Suddenly you hear voices. The windows are open. There are lights in the narrow alleyways. But normal life in Calabria otherwise looks very different. Three hundred thousand people have left the region in the last ten years alone. The brain drain is a real problem. Imanuele knows that from his own experience. Pente Dattilo is like a lost world. But we all long for this world. We carry it inside us. Who wouldn't like to be able to work in the area where they come from with their roots are. But mostly that's not possible. And the film festival is my way of saying let's come back here.
And come they do. Even though Pente Dattilo is no longer accessible by car. From the end of the road, they have to make the steep climb on foot. The festival draws tourists, filmmakers, and film lovers from all over the world. Hundreds of visitors flood into the ghost town for three days. Here a few more posters. People are arriving so please make sure the posters are in prominent locations.
Rosela also has her work cut out for her during the festival. Pente Dattilo is alive again. She's cooking for some of the visitors. Manuello has come to help her. He's a chef by trade and grew up in Calabria. But these days he lives and works in Berlin. Whenever I come to Calabria, I always try to spend a few days with Rosela. We're cut from the same cloth. I love to help her. We work and have fun together. It's as busy in the kitchen as it is outside in the village. And Rosela can earn some extra money.
My family is very quiet. But during the film festival, everything is different. Friends come to see us. We cook for them, and they leave us a small donation. She cooks for up to 40 people a day. And the film festival isn't the only time when Rosela profits from the magical charm of her home. Without the summer, she rents out rooms to tourists and cooks for her guests.
I'm a simple person. What I do, I enjoy. Now, for example, preparing all the food is stressful, but I enjoy doing it. Because when I see that people are happy and when they tell me, oh, it's so good, I get back the energy I invested. Her terrace is now full of visitors. So everyone wants gold meat? A little to try? Okay.
Our ghost town has come back to life. Finally, the streets are filled with life again. The film festival feels like a ray of hope. Could Pindedatilo have a future after all? Could art and culture help to revive this ghost town? The film festival is a gesture if you like. We are not the ones who can change the fate of this village. They will take planning. We're doing what we can to keep this place alive. But there's so much to do and we can't do it alone.
From Maka to it's a special time. It's his first film festival. And a friend of his has come along too. Califa is also from Mali. The two of them met in Calabria. I have a friend visiting. That makes me very happy. It's nice to see so many people here and to watch films. It's great. Maka never went to a cinema in Mali. Now there's a whole film festival on his doorstep and people have come from all over the world.
The days were long during the festival but very satisfying. For Rosela too. The guests have now gone and Pente Dattilo is once again a ghost town. The place that Rosela once fell in love with. I need the quiet. When things get too much for me I like to come here. Maybe that's the reason why I'm here to show the world that you can actually live with very little. Without this constant craving for more. It's an unhealthy craving that never makes you happy. The secret of Rosela's happiness is a simple life which she's found here. If the abandoned villages of Calabria are to have a future it will take people like Rosela and Maka. People with a vision who are willing to put in the work. Those who can perhaps learn to live with less.
Rosela is convinced there are others like her out there. I'm optimistic about the future of Pente Dattilo. Once you see it you can never forget it. A lot of young people approach me and offer to help. I find this so beautiful. Maybe something new will be born here in the future. Rosela and Maka don't get any support from the authorities. So they put in the work themselves to keep the streets free from rubble. They won't give up on Pente Dattilo and they know they can count on each other.
I won't leave her. I would never even consider leaving her. I don't know what else life has in store for me but I know one thing. I will stay by Rosela's side.