This post is written by Kapok (Alessandro Iasilli), a very good friend of mine who decided to come with me in this crazy place called Borgo Ottomila. The photos are taken by me, Jacopo.
December 29th, Avezzano, Italy. "I’ve been long time obsessed with Borgo 8000", says Jacopo, standing with the second coffee of the day in his hands. I don’t have any idea what he’s talking about, just thoughts that are not align to reality. Anyway I trust Kekke (Aka: Jacopo) and his countryside Ferrari: with an old Fiat Uno we could arrive until the north pole if we wanted. I just wasn’t expecting going back into time.
Borgo 8000 is actually an open-sky work-camp town, even if the term town is probably too noble when we come to describe it. After the epic drying up of the third biggest lake in the nation, Fucino became a huge plain, and Borgo 8000 stands in the center of this surreal nothingness.
Nowadays the town is famous for its solid drug dealing.
"Eiii voiiii!", shouts someone with a cheap beer in his hands. We are indeed strangers, there’s no way to hide it. Probably there are no more than 50 houses, but half of them are still standing. Hopefully.
"Let’s go to the bar. I’d like to put a face to his owner", says Jacopo, after a weird conversation with Mohammed, a local citizen who wanted to sell us the goods of heaven (women, booze, pig meat and whipped cream).
Venanzio Carducci, the ideal mayor of Borgo 8000, seems to have never never moved from the bar, the face sculpted of a hard man with a warm heart. "After 41 years of dedicated work, I finally became Cavaliere del lavoro", he says, showing off his paper.
"And what about that wood stick?", I ask, pointing a fine piece of wood.
"Ah", he answer, his eyes rolling over the peculiar clients, "that’s for beating them when they annoy me!"
This post is written by Kapok (Alessandro Iasilli), a very good friend of mine who decided to come with me in this crazy place called Borgo Ottomila. The photos are taken by me.
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