POST-SCRIPT (i)

Since this study was written, the determined attempts of the Italian Government to improve the lot of the population of the Southern Provin- ces have continued unabated. The land reform continues, and, little by little, new methods of agriculture are being introduced. Moreover, ex- periments are constantly being made in an attempt to obtain water, either by the better utilisation of the water stored in the limestone sub-soil by means of wells, or alternatively by the creation of reservoir lakes on the hills. Inevitably, the improvement of irrigation will affect the agri- cultural production. In addition, by making water more easily available, its use for personal hygiene will increase throughout the region. Methane, too, has been found in the sub-soil, and the exploitation of this natural supply of gas will affect the area. Lastly, enormous sums are being devoted to improving education, providing the sanitary services required, creating land-cooperatives, and, by small degrees, redistributing the land in a more equable fashion. Some results are already visible: infantile mortality has dropped to 67.5 %o in from the former 89.1 %o, and it is reported that there has also been a drop in the birth-rate. Moreover, the minimum 'wage of a " bracciante " is now above 1,000 Lire a day (over 10/—). Nevertheless, the picture in general is much the same as it was five years ago. The problem facing the Government is enormous: for what is true of the , is true of Lucania, Basilicata, Calabria, the rest of Apulia and the Abbruzzi. Consequently, changes and improvements are necessarily very slow, and for individual villages, imperceptible. Indu- bitably, the way of life in the Salento is a vanishing one; but its death is an extremely slow progress, and it will take a considerable time for it to disappear. Hence, though time does not stand still even in Calimera, the broad outlines of the picture are still the same, and will be so for some time yet. Perhaps, the nearness of Calimera to and the latter's urban culture will accelerate the rate of change in Calimera: the influence of the city was already making itself felt five years ago. Cer- tainly, the mobility of the Calimeran peasant has greatly increased. The encouragement given to emigration, and the financial and other help 270 THE STUDY OF AN ITALIAN VILLAGE given to would-be emigrants, have altered the attitude of the peasants towards emigration: I have met Calimerans as far north as Rimini and Milan, and have been informed that the younger generation, at least, no longer views departure from the village as an unmitigated calamity. On the contrary, many look forward to it. This is in marked contrast to the traditional attitude, and to the attitude I found prevailing there. If such a radical change in attitude and values has taken place, even for a minority of the population, within five years, it indicates that change is taking place at a much more rapid pace than I honestly thought possible when I studied the village. It also appears that Grico is very rapidly disappearing, as the older men and women die, the younger men no longer using the Grecian dialect. This is perhaps a pity, from an antiquarian and linguistic point of view. But, since the persistence of Grico was itself an index of the iso- lation and backwardness of the area and of its stagnation under an out- dated social organization, the disappearance of the dialect can only mean a more rapid rate of change, and for Calimera, as for all Apulia, any change can only be for the better. POST-SCRIPT (2)

During the summer of 1966, a belated recognition of the hellenism of Calimera was given. The Athenian newspapers bore the news that the Municipality of Calimera had brought to the notice of the Greek Govern- ment the fact that it was intended to celebrate a " Greek Day " in the town, during -which the ancient ties with would be comme- morated, and the Greek flag flown, while the Grecian tongue would be used in the official speeches. By a nice touch, this celebration was made to coincide with the National Day of Greece, 28 October. The Muni- cipality of Calimera requested the Greek Government to send a repre- sentative to these celebrations. So, after centuries of oblivion the basic hellenism of the Salento has finally been officially recognized. IMPRIMEME NATIONALE 66 0645 0 67 063 2