Sing a Song of Sixpence

                                                   

April is almost over. Blossoms have become fruit. A stronger sun  shines through  new leaves. It has the power to burn the skin. And yes- dear readers -I've neglected you!

It's early evening and I'm on the train home from Maddoloni. 

The sky is pale grey and the reaming sunlight filters through clouds. We're passing through the poorer suburbs of Caserta . 

Old ugly apartments have replaced bright fields of olives and vegetables.Tall poorly constructed apartment blocks shut out the light.  Washing hangs down from  rusty balcony rails. It's a depressing place many would be glad to escape from. Nowadays education may provide a few with a passport out  but how many poor Italians got the golden ticket - the lucky sixpence-  in the past? 

 

Very few we can suppose! And yet 250 years ago  only 3.5 km NW of Caserta there was a flourishing new community with model houses and plenty of work for both agricultural workers and craftsmen.

It was San Leucio founded by the Borbon king, Ferdinand IV.

Ferdinand sought a quieter residence away from his palace in Caserta to pursue hunting and meditation. Consequently he restored and remodelled a hunting lodge, the Belvedere, to become his country retreat. He imported cows from Sardinia in 1773 to begin a vaccheria and expanded the existing vineyard to supply the needs of his court.

And that would have been that, had tragedy not struck the royal household. On December 17th 1778 the king's eldest son and heir, Carlo Tito, died of smallpox. Aware of the lack of medical assistance available to the poor , the king decided to build a charitable hospital. Soon after  a silk factory was constructed to provide them with work.

Silk worms were imported from China and young people were sent to France to learn the art of weaving. Serious money was wisely invested. It was not long before silk orders were coming in from all over the world. Today we can see San Leucio silk in the Vatican, White House and Buckingham Palace.

 

They were certainly raking in the money and their employees reaped good rewards. They were assigned a house within the colony. Free education was provided for their children from the age of six. At 15 they could work in the silk factory, working fewer hours than the rest of Europe at that time.You were also given the option of working from home, weaving silk on a smaller home loom. 

These houses  were equipped with running water and toilets built in accordance with the urban planning rules of the time to ensured they would stand the test of time. Indeed they still inhabited today. Productivity was guaranteed by a cash bonus based on the level of expertise they had achieved. Various opportunities were also available for the disabled.

You were free to leave at any time. My guess is: few would have done. Most of us know when we are on to a good thing. A lucky sixpence? More like a golden sovereign! Indeed when one of these workers' houses came up for sale , it was well beyond our humble means. The only sixpence worth of heaven I can enjoy outside of San Leucio comes in chocolate form!