Per the second episode of Five islands for five writersI go to the Tremiti islands with Gabriella Genisi. At forty years, an age in which many think that dreams have already taken shape, Gabriella Genisi took the pen in hand and gave a boost to his, building one of the most loved characters of Italian fiction: the deputy chief Lolita Lobosco. «I started writing after a life spent reading. I wanted to become a journalist, my myth was Oriana Fallaci. I started like this, reading novels, then in 2006 Lolita was born».
The idea also came from an evident void: Readers and viewers loved Commissioner Montalbano very much, born from the pen of Andrea Camilleri. «I asked myself: why does not yet exist in literature a similar female figure, as happens in reality instead? To inspire me was a dear friend, commissioner in Monopoli: a beautiful, determined woman who had sacrificed part of personal life for his career. It’s called the Selva, but I changed the surname in Lobosco ».
And the name Lolita? «A tribute to the girl protagonist of the famous Nabokov noveloften guilty for his sensual attitude, but in reality a victim, exploited by an adult man. And then in his character I put some of what I find in the Tremiti: a female archipelago, wild, fascinating and mysterious just like women who never reveal themselves to the end ».
Gabriella Genisi was born in Bari, a city that is the backdrop to the investigations of Lolita Lobosco, a character he invented, protagonist of a very beloved Rai fiction. The Lolita series is published by Sonzogno and Marsilio; With the publisher Rizzoli he published the new Cicca Lopez cycle.
Tremiti islands, here you don’t get by chance
«I love these places very much. The first times came to us as a girl, at eighteen, and then in the following years ». The only islands of the Adriatic, called the “pearls” of this sea, do not arrive here by chance. They are not comfortable to reach: You embark from Termoli, in Molise, or from the coasts of Puglia. There are only two inhabited islands: San Domino, where there is the port, and San Nicola, which is right in front. “Here you come if you really want it»Announces Genisi. «And not every moment why They are alive only for a few months a year, from June to September. After they empty. And this side of them almost suspended in time is one of the things that fascinates me most. Of course, over the years they have changed, today they are more “instagrammable”. Just see Punta del Diamante, at the end of San Domino: at sunset they all go there in search of the perfect shot. But the scenario remains intact. There is still the dense green of the Mediterranean scrub and the Aleppo pines, the blue of the sea and the reflections of the water in the caves: that of the violets, the sea ox, of Cala delle Rondinelle. Perfect places for those who love the sea, and also incredibly romantic ».
Punta del Diamante, in San Domino. (Alamy)
In his book Terrarossa They are the enchanted scenario for the escape of love between Lolita Lobosco and the deputy chief Giancarlo Caruso.
How deep the sea of the tremiti is
Mediterranean scrub, crystal clear sea: the archipelago is also a natural heritage to protect and preserve. “I talked about it in Black seawhere I deal with the issue of toxic waste sinking in the waters of the Gargano during the nineties. After writing it, the thought went to Lucio Dalla and his love for these islandswhere he owned two houses and had found inspiration for the album Moon Matanaa title that derives from the small inlet located a few meters from its villa in San Domino. Listening to the final stanzas of How deep the sea isI discovered the strongly ecological dimension in his words: “So they are killing the sea. So they are humiliating the sea”. An invitation to safeguard this paradise that has been able to deserve the blue flag and the five sails for years, which testify not only the clean sea, but also a good management of the territory.
The legend of Diomede
On the boat, accompanied by the guides, the other jewels of this pearl necklace are discovered: Cretaccio, who is little more than a rock, goat or the farthest pianosa which is part of the full marine reserve, protected by very rigid rules. A natural paradise that leaves drugs. During navigation, the guides rattle the myths of which ancient narratives feed on. «Fascinating legends, such as that of Diomede and Aphrodite. He says that the Achaean hero, after the Trojan war, died in San Nicola and was buried there. Aphrodite, mercilessly from the pain of his companions, transformed them into marine birds, the diomedas, so that they watched eternally on his tomb ». And the Tremiti, in fact, were called Diomedeebecause, he wants tradition, born from a handful of stones launched in the sea by Diomede (always him).
The abbey of “Santa Maria del Mare” was a monastery on the island of San Nicola from the 9th century until 1782. (Getty Images)
In Cretaccio, the smallest and most barren of the archipelagoanother legend increases the mystery of these places. «It is that of the Scoglio della Vecchia, a rock that on the nights of full moon looks like an elderly lady who ran the wool. There is also the ghost of a fled prisoner holding his own severed head »adds Genisi smiling. In the past, the islands have been a criminal colony for galleys, a place where homosexuals deported during fascism.
“Giulia, the grandson of Emperor Augustus was also exiled herefor his conduct considered libertine. Sometimes I imagine writing about these and other stories at the tables of the National Bar of San Nicola, where I like to sit for a coffee. He was opened by an agent in service to the criminal colony. Since 1880 it has remained the same: it is a leap over time, which sooner or later will enter one of my books ».
The church of Santa Maria del Mare, on the island of San Nicola
Where to sleep in the Tremiti islands
Sail
Via A. Vespucci 17, San Domino. A family -run hotel, with only 14 bright rooms and a few minutes from the town center and Cala Martano. Double from 150 euros in B&B for two people. Hotel-lavela.it
Il Gabbiano Hotel
Via G. Garibaldi 97, San Domino. In the central square of the island, in addition to the rooms, it offers an annex with autonomous villas, restaurant and wellness center. Hotel-gabbiano.com
A boat trip to the Tremiti Islands in 1974.
Where to eat
The Architello
Climb of the walls 5, San Nicola. It overlooks the islet of the Cretaccio and on the table, sea dishes, flavored with the island’s capers. Facebook.com/larchitiello.isoletremiti
The other lighthouse
Via Gioacchino Murat 18, San Domino. Famous for the frying of Paranza (very light), as well as Carbonara and Lasagna di Mare. Facebook.com/laltrofarotremiti
Excursions to the Tremiti
To transform a simple bathroom into an experience with snorkeling and diving: aquodivingtremiti.com; Blurtremiti.it; TremitidiventeRer.com
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