by Georges from DR Congo
„A traveler is more beneficial than a reader of different books on the spot“
However, on the night of Friday, 9 in the early morning of Saturday, 10 October 2021, we had trampled our feet in the land of Dante commonly known as Italy. Here it was in the area of Torre Pellice. This trip was indeed very long but also with many discoveries on the way. For example, we had to cross all of Switzerland to enter Italy. In passing, I personally discovered that Switzerland is a mountainous country, most of its roads through the mountains and which makes the presence of several tunnels. Arrived, on Saturday morning in Italy, all the part that we had traveled on Italy, I had also discovered that Italy is in full reconstruction of its infrastructures including roads, rails etc. The hotel where we were staying, its name is „FORESTERIA VALDESE“ and here it is, it is on this name Valdese where the story began.
Indeed, just after lunch on that same Saturday we were taken to visit the historical elements of the Waldensian such as:
– The Waldensian Temple,
– The Waldensian House and
– The Waldensian Cultural Center.
It is in the Waldensian cultural center where we heard a lot about the spiritual Christian movement created by Peter Waldo in 1184, in the city of Lyon (France). We were told a little that, following the success that this Waldensian movement already had, the Catholic Church considered it unorthodox and officially denouncing the Waldensian as Heretics. However, unfortunately in 1211, more than 80 Waldensian were burnt as Heretics in Strasbourg (France).
The Sunday morning just after the Church services, we had a little conversation with the young faithful of this community of the Waldensian Temple. However, after all these services, we went to the hotel where we had a visitor in the name of Julietto, the latter came to tell us a very broad but interesting story about the resistance (1943 – 1945).
This resistance was therefore in the face of German domination, and they no longer wanted this domination, which is why they created a group of partisans to remain united and fight against this domination in order to find freedom. Julietto also told us about fascism, a movement that was based and characterized by dictatorial power, including nationalism that used Anti-egalitarianism a lot. They told us about two categories of fascists including: Italian fascists and German fascists, who had taken the name of a political party known as NAZI, (Nationalsozialismus) from Adolf Hitler. Julietto told us that their time had been ruined by these kinds of movements and that he can never forget the history of the Fascists. So after his description, he gave us the advice not to do that again and to continue with studies for the best of our future generations. Then he gave us the treatises on which the entire history of the resistance is written. So after listening to Julietto, we went down to see some monuments of supporters of the resistance and to see where the martyrdom of the resistance was buried Jacopo LOMBARDINI.
On Monday morning we went to the mountains on the Bagnou Strip, considered an epigraph in memory of the partisans who died during the resistance. Nevertheless we had to discover very modest mountain huts such as small museums making traces of the history of the Partisans. Suddenly during the walk, we meet a lady named Danielle born in Morocco, but of French nationality. The latter gave us two books, mine of which was written in French, with the title „La grande controverse“.
Tuesday morning, we left for the city center of Turin where we met an Italian named Daniel, it is last with all his kindness, he guided us by explaining us about the history of the city, as for example: he had told us about GOFFREDO VARAGLIA, who was a priest but who accepted to have a discussion with the Waldensian, after the discussion he finally realized that the Waldensian had a truth in their preaching and this had directly pushed him to join the reform and ultimately to become Waldensian Pastor. Daniel also told us about CARLO ROBERTO, who was the king of Italian Piedmont, and it was he who had given freedom and authorization to the Waldensian to study in universities like other people normally. After these stories we then left to the goal of our descent which was the visit of the museum, spoke about the history of the partisans during the second world war, how the city of Turin had been destroyed.
On Wednesday morning we had taken the direction to Saluzzo, a visit made was based at the Jewish Synagogue. Which for me was the very first time to see the synagogue, so it was a vocabulary that I read often in the Bible. Right after we also took part in the tour of the Jewish cemetery, here we were told about how the Jews buried their dead. So it was a way in which before covering a coffin, they put a small amount of soil in it and then closed the coffin. So after covering the tomb with earth, the Jews did not want to plant the flowers above the tomb, but rather they placed small pebbles there.
Thursday morning, we had taken the path in the mountains on the Bagnou strip and ended well with a monument on which was carved the Bible, and on this Bible was written „THE FAITHFUL BIBLE“
On Friday morning, we took a tour to see how the market works, doing some shopping and in the evening we went through a game of individual restitution of what we had seen and learned during the previous four days and close the program.
On Saturday morning after lunch, we said goodbye with the hotel staff, and then we got on the Bus for Germany.
As a conclusion, I learned a lot about the history of Europe, a continent which has not known colonization but with a touching and interesting history but also with museums which will allow multiple European generations to know and see those that were made by their forefathers in the past. However, being African I also took the opportunity to take part with other young Europeans and it made me very happy because it was a favor for me.
In conclusion, I will not remain ungrateful to say thank you to the whole team of young people with whom we were together, but also particularly to our two leaders including Andreas and Arianne, they were for us a good refuge and especially me who had not complete documents for the Covid-19 vaccination. They put up with our whims for the whole week, may only God fill them with his blessing. I also want to say thank you to my sister Louis, she who invited me to take part in the outing, with the whole team of her colleagues on duty who supported me from afar without even knowing my physical person, may God you also bless subscription.
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