ROVIGO – Elena Matteotti on the trail of the illustrious grampa, Jamesarrived in Polesine, a Rovigo it’s at thicket, a city that “adopted” it three years ago thanks to Donatella Girotto, Giuseppe Marangoni and all the members of the Ctg Rovigoti, who manage the Mulino Al Pizzon eco-museum restaurant and inn. Elena and her sister Laura are the last two direct descendants of the Matteotti family. «My father Matteo (one of the three children Giacomo had with his wife Velia Titta, ed.) had never told us to see our grandfather’s hometown. I finally wanted to see Fratta, which has become my second home for three years now. I wanted to fill in what I didn’t know about my grandfather. And I could only do it by visiting the place where first my grandfather and then my father were born and raised. I was thus able to discover many things that I had not been able to learn from books. It was by reading the book “Letters to Velia Matteotti” that I had my first insight into who my grandfather was. My family has never told me anything about Giacomo Matteotti. I never understood why.”
Was Matteotti therefore seen as a figure by his family?
«Yes, it was as if they wanted to hide who had done it. She never spoke to each other unless I asked for something.”
What was it like visiting the house museum named after your grandfather?
«I didn’t experience it very well the first time I entered there. I felt a sense of oppression. I felt the full weight of what happened to my family. I was a little dazed. All the pain felt by my father and the rest of the Matteotti family was manifested in me.”
What are your thoughts on Fratta?
«It’s a town that I really like. I especially like the atmosphere in this town, where it almost seems like I can still feel the presence of my grandfather Giacomo. I didn’t know anything about the fact that the Matteotti family had managed the bar under the arcades of Piazza Martiri. I wasn’t told anything about this either.”
Did you know that Villamarzana was the first and only municipality that saw Matteotti as mayor?
«I learned this by reading a book, but even in this case I must admit that I had never been told that my grandfather had been elected mayor. And not even that he had been elected provincial councilor. Until three years ago I was missing fundamental pieces of my grandfather’s story.”
Elena Matteotti, 67 years old, is a teacher of Italian to foreigners. She decided to be her in Polesine both because yesterday was Liberation Day and because tomorrow morning, right at the Mulino Pizzon, a special exhibition on Giacomo Matteotti will be inaugurated. You will be in Fratta again on Monday 10 June, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the murder of your grandfather Giacomo at the hands of the fascists.
«My grandfather lived in via Pisanelli. Despite having a father who was a member of parliament, she had never been to Palazzo Montecitorio. He never wanted to take me with him. However, I managed to visit Parliament, with another person, but several years after my father’s death (13 June 2000, ed.). Nobody believes that all the stories related to the figure of our grandfather were omitted from me and my sister.”
Why did you let all these years pass before starting to find out about the history of Giacomo Matteotti?
«Because at the beginning it didn’t seem that important to me, in fact it was something to leave hidden as much as possible. However, it was something latent, which was almost closed in a drawer. I had no hope of understanding it and looking for it. I felt alone in all of this. I promised myself that one day I would still find the courage to start doing research on my grandfather.”
What does it feel like to be the granddaughter of a man who is still so important on an international level today?
«It’s very bulky. It’s not easy being Matteotti’s niece, because people always expect to find themselves in front of someone special. Instead I consider myself a very simple person. My grandfather is too big for me in terms of personality. He is almost unattainable for me. I didn’t experience his whole story well.”
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