Who knows why the names of certain small towns are barely marked in small letters on maps.

I have before me a brochure of the 1989 Tourist Office of Chieti in which are praised some itineraries in the Sangro region and several of its towns, but there is no mention of Fallo.

It is probably the destiny attached to that name, in fact in a cartoon of Trojano of some time ago on the name Fallo was written the word CENSURE; perhaps it is because one would go there only if there was a specific reason, but very little is said of this town.

And yet, it would be worthwhile to climb from Villa S. Maria to the 570 meter of altitude of these hills to enjoy a marvelous view from the mountains to the valley towards the sea.

But it is not only for that: there are the small square (now larger than before, as they say), the narrow and clean streets, the casual walks, the opportunity to talk leisurely with the few people still left in town, without the need of speaking loud, the slow recapture of a sense of the human contact, and the realization that there are still church-like places where to pray our good Lord.

Fallo has 340 habitants, it has a market day on Thursdays, and many young faces can be seen among the old townspeople. Thus I discover that in these towns, often much neglected, there is a considerable cultural life, made of the many old celebrations, perhaps exaggerated, and also of local songs, traditions, and history.

For some time in Fallo, there are, within the Pro-Loco (a sort of Chamber of Commerce), young people who are exhorting the Fallesi who work in the city or in the region to recapture the essence of town's life. Among the many initiatives they have published a bilingual brochure, which presents, besides the many aspects of this place, even the origin of the quaint name.

The name Fallo derives from the older name, Faldo, which comes from the Latin Faldus. Such is a name, in fact, that is given to it in the archives of the Dioceses of Chieti. We also find between the lines of the booklet, even in the English version, all the pride and almost the privilege of belonging to a small community, which owes nothing to anyone for its success.

In the Geographic Dictionary of the Kingdom of Naples by Lorenzo Giustiniani, published in Naples in 1802, one can read "Fallo, territory in the central Abruzzi, in the dioceses of Chieti, 24 miles from the seacoast". It was founded on a hill overlooking the Sangro river. The town borders in the south with the territory of Pilo, the territory of S. Martino, and the land of Borrello.

Mr. ******** ** *******, (** ********) who for a long time has been living in ***********, whom by chance I met last year, was telling me with a tone of sadness, how this town would deserve a better understanding by those who could. After all, Fallo has given birth to the philosopher Cesare and the writer Alceste De Lollis. ********* was also telling me how there are all over town some artistic masterpieces, such as the painting from the Raphael School. It is necessary then to continue to be proud and to defend the proper identity, but also to defend the sections of the town, and the narrow streets with historical names: Via Orientale, Via Pietra Antica, Borgo Valle Vecchia, Largo Collerosso, Via delle Balze. The past may be the key that opens the future.

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