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The stone of Bismantova
The Pietra is a massive stone that rises over 350 meters high, a sacred place since ancient times for sacrifices, religious celebrations, devotion.
The origin of its name, Bismantova, can be related to her role as sacred mountain at the beginning of civilization.
Two options are considered today:
One, traces the origin of its name to the Etruscan “Man”, carved stone and “Tae” altar.
The shape of the rock resemble in fact a gigantic altar, between earth and sky.
Another hypothesis considers that its origin could be related to the celtic words “Vis”, mistletoe, “Men”, moon, and “Tua”, homage, recalling the nocturnal harvesting of mistletoe among the oak groves of the area, a practice of ancient lunar cults.
The strange and peculiar shape of the rock stands out against the landscape, instilling awe and demanding reverence from Paleolithic to nowadays.
An almost gentle climb spirals along the perimeter of the Pietra, through oaks and beeches, until it reaches a wide and bare plain, abruptly overhanging on the void.
There are no protections, no barriers from us and the cliff.
“Appel du vide”, the call of the void, is a french expression used to explain the intrusive thoughts, the irrational impulse to jump, to abandon ourselves to the void that calls us back.
On this edge, the call is stronger than ever.
Sometimes, we have to metaphorically jump into the void to see if we can fly. We wanted to celebrate this vision in our video of Fade Under.
But, reality is instead sadder and darker, and the void is a black vortex that if it manages to creep in, drags you down with it.
The Pietra counts a significant number of suicides over the years.
Many of the people who ended their lives also came from distant places and so maybe they decided to choose the Pietra as the final destination for their earthly journey.
The Pietra has two sides: the bright, luminous one, and the dark, shadowy one.
We are in Castelnovo ne’ Monti, Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy.
