The link between Acerenza and Romania – sanctioned by a protocol between the Municipality and the Prahva Municipalities Association (92 municipalities), twinned with the Municipality of Acerenza and other Alto Bradano municipalities through a protocol of cultural exchange and economic promotion-cooperation in addition to the exchange of visits and delegations of Romanian and Lucanian mayors – is strengthened in the evocative mystery of burial of Maria Balsa, daughter of Vlad Tepes (Dracula) in a crypt of the cathedral of Acerenza, with the inauguration of the Exhibition-Museum in Palazzo Glinni. Scholars and researchers who are committed to reconstructing the entire life of Count Dracula and his family, the count’s journey to Italy and Basilicata (beyond Acerenza, Muro Lucano) have arrived from Bucharest together with officials from the Department for Romanians Abroad (spokesperson Aina Ena), the mayor of Ploiesti Florin Mihai Pelin, president of the Prahva Municipalities Association (92 municipalities), regional councilors of Romania, authorities also from Moldova, to inaugurate with the Exhibition-Museum a bronze bust of the character venerated as popular hero in Romania and other parts of Europe, for having protected the population from the invasion of the Turks.
Furthermore, in the Glinni family library, on display is the precious copy of a book that tells of the “Dragon Family” which contains not only the rules of the dragon knights but also the list and names of the Dragon Knights. The name Dracula derives from Draco (the dragon in the coat of arms) and became famous during the 1800s following the fictional novel by the Irish writer Bram Stoker. The rediscovery of the ancient volume pushed the Glinni brothers to carefully reread the writings and works of their Ottoman ancestor Glinni, finding a manuscript on the burial of Princess Balza. This is where the project “In the footsteps of Dracula in Europe” began, supported by the Ministry of Culture of Romania, Palazzo Italia Bucharest, the Mihai Viteazu Prahova cultural association, chaired by Mircea Cosma, the Lucani nei Balkans Association and the Romanians in Italy – Basilicata, from Romania to Acerenza representatives of the Romanian Government (Department for Romanians Abroad), of the Romanian Embassy in Italy, a delegation from the Republic of Moldova and the Municipality of Chisinau, international scholars and researchers, including including the meseographer Paulina Amelian, to discover a bronze bust and a painting by the painter Iolanda Cretoiu. For Giovanni Baldantoni “the tourist-cultural attraction of Acerenza will certainly have direct benefits in the economic relations between Italy and Romania and also other Balkan countries, it will increase tourist flows because in all the Balkans there is great interest in Vlad Tepes and it will favor businesses already numerous Italian companies in Romania for food products and other sectors”. As confirmed by the Royal Director of the Santa Maria La Nova Cathedral in Naples (where Count Dracula is buried), visitors have increased in recent times, especially from Eastern European countries. Carlo Glinni, who with his family wanted to renovate the historic building made available, spoke of a “great opportunity offered to the Acheruntine community to relaunch tourism. Depopulation is the first priority to address.” And the president of Confcommercio di Potenza Angelo Lovallo insisted on the regeneration of the village and the shopping center, for whom “the support for the project goes in this direction and towards the relaunch of local businesses”.
The mayor of Ploiesti Florin Mihai Pelin, president of the Prahva Municipalities Association (92 municipalities), twinned with the Municipality of Acerenza and other Alto Bradano municipalities, underlined that the sense of belonging to Europe is strengthened, starting from cultural exchanges and illustrating the investment possibility in Ploiesti, near the capital’s airport, with availability of agricultural land and areas for small production activities. Local legislation favors foreign investments and the formation of joint ventures. The absence of the mayor of Acerenza was stigmatized.
Mircea Cosma, Mihai Viteazu Prahova cultural association, which has already created 9 museums in Europe (in addition to 260 busts and artistic works), talks about the idea shared by the Glinni family and Giovanni Baldantoni, of the “Casa Dracula” in Acerenza. “Our research dates back to 2020 when in Naples in the Santa Maria La Nova church – he reports – we concentrated on studying the tomb in which, for us, the body of Count Dracula is found. Together with Romanian academics and scholars we dealt with the count’s passages in Italy and Basilicata – beyond Acerenza, Muro Lucano – so the attention went to the crypt of the cathedral of Acerenza. The mystery of the crypt finds authoritative confirmations which however require further investigations and in-depth analysis. It is an erased history that requires a major cultural research operation.”
