ADRIANA
ADRIANA: I was born here, in this house, and as soon as I was born, I was dying, so they baptized me... I was born the same year as the Madonna della Civita. The first time I left Ponza, I was 16 years old. I went to Naples for a month, and then I met my husband when I was 13 years old, and he was 17. When I turned 18, we got married and moved to America for seven years and two of my three children were born there.
ANNA: Do you remember what it was like leaving Ponza for the first time?
AD: Oh, it was wonderful! Because back then, the ship took six hours to get to Naples. It went from Ponza to Ventotene, Ischia, Casamicciola, all these places... and for me, it’s an unforgettable memory. The first time I saw the city, it seemed gigantic to me.
A: And why did you move to America? Tell me a bit about what it was like and why you came back to Ponza.
AD: Because my husband had already been working in America for a few years. We had a house in Trasnik, a neighborhood in the Bronx, made up entirely of people from Ponza, near the sea. I was happy there; I even bought a house. But still, life there is very different, the first thing people ask you isn’t how you are, but “Do you work?” I decided to come back because, in the end, I only had two parents and a sister, and they were living here. Life is just one, so I came back...
A: What are some important values you learned from your family and carried on in the family you built?
AD: I’d definitely say respect, faith, and love for the family.
A: Speaking of faith, can you tell me about the island’s connection to religion?
AD: The island is very connected to San Silverio, who was a Pope, a Patron Saint and was exiled to Ponza, where he died... For us, he is our link between earth and God, San Silverio is in the middle, guiding us. We have a little church nearby... at the highest point on the island,and there are big traditions linked to San Silverio, like the hymn on December 8th and the big parade on June 20th, where everyone celebrates him by sailing at sea.
A: And what would you change about the island if you could?
AD:The only big issue in Ponza now is drugs, which ruin so many lives...Everyone knows, but no one knows, you understand? In general, I’d make everything work better: the roads, the signs, and definitely restoring the paths, we have so many beautiful things to offer. My grandfather was the head lighthouse keeper, his three sons were lighthouse keepers, and my mother would bring food to her grandfather every day at the lighthouse. Now the road isn’t even there anymore; ever since it collapsed, no one has thought about it again...
A: What does being a woman mean to you?
AD:Being a woman means having your own rights, being a bit matriarchal... because, in general, the man works and brings money home, but it’s the wife who has to manage everything and make ends meet. That’s how it is. And then there are good days and less good ones. Sometimes we take a day off here; there isn’t much to do in the winter...