EBOOK PROGETTO ERASMUS_CLASSI SECONDE - S.M. "N. PENDE"

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I decided to go to a water park, at the entrance It gave me serenity and joy, and while I was paying the ticket, I listened to the happy cries of kids. I entered. There was a heavy fog, It was all grey, my ears were ringing in a deafening silence. I followed the smell of stale and rotten that clogged my nostrils. I started to see some insects and buzzing flies. I was really scary. I saw a thud. I ducked and saw the floor covered by blood and I saw great prints. I had cold, and I was lost in the dark.

Between 1815 and 1816 the town of Noja, today's Noicattaro, in the province of Bari, was hit by the last known epidemic of plague in Western Europe. The disease was probably imported from Dalmatia, through a load of infected furs. Liborio Didonna, a merchant, was the first to be affected by the disease; later the infection spread throughout his family and soon throughout the town. King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, sovereign of the kingdom of Naples, in order to avoid the spread of infections, isolated the small town of Noja by building three sanitary cordons: the first around the town, the second surrounding the area of Conversano and the third isolating the province of Bari.

Within Noja, some areas were isolated, in particular around Largo Pagano, where the infection spread more rapidly. Some places, such as churches and palaces, were used to host and heal the plague victims. Let's look at some of them:

The situation becomes unbearable for Riley who is forced to live in a old and horrible house with no money&nbsp;unlike her twin who has so much, so she&nbsp;decides to get&nbsp;by force what she has always dreamt.

PLAGUE IS AN INFECTIUS DISEASE, WHICH CAN BE TRANSMITTED TO HUMAN BEINGS THROUGH THE BITES OF FLEAS OR PARASITES, HOSTED BY INFECTED RATS OR PETS.

ON THE 31st OF DECEMBER 1815, THE FIRST "OSPEDALE MORBOSO" OR PLAGUE HOSPITAL OPENED IN THE ROOMS OF THE CONVENT OF THE CARMELITANI, NEXT TO THE CHURCH OF THE CARMINE.

THE COUNTLESS HEARSES, CARRYNG CORPSES THROUGH THE STREETS, PASSED TWICE A DAY. THE LAST CASE OF PLAGUE RECORED WAS ON THE 7th OF JUNE 1816 AND THE NIGHTMARE SLOWLY DISAPPEARED.

Our Capuchin convent was used as an observation house for the sicks and despite webshould leave It, others 11 brothers and I remained to assist the sicks. It was a very painful experience to see the sufferings of those poor people and not knowing what to do. Many of&nbsp;my confreres they&nbsp;got sick&nbsp;top and died. Now the bells have just rang the 6, I have gone to church for Holy Mass, after the prayer I will go to the room of observation of plague victims, to verify the health conditions of the various patients and above all of Giorgio who will be discharged in a few days, if the medicines will take effect. It's nine o'clock and it's time to give Giorgio the medicines, hoping that It Will have effect in an hour. Here it is finally ten o'clock, I'm going to check the health conditions of George.

Doctors who tried to treat plague victims wore a mask with a long beak, inside which scented substances were kept, since the air was infected by plague victims. Doctors used to dip patients in bath of urine, apply feces to darker spots, or use leeches to treat the plague.

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The important thing is not to establish if one is afraid or not, it is to know how to live with one's fear and not be influenced by it. Here, courage is this!

So the cops start checking all the payments they have made in the previous hours and find that they have bought two tickets to Thailand and are about to get on the plane. The Police arrive just in time to the airport and luckily manage to stop and arrest them.

THE ”BLACK DEATH” CAME FROM THE BALKANS: LIBORIO DIDONNA, A MERCHANT, WENT TO TORRE PELOSA, A SMALL TOWN NEAR BARI (NOW TORRE A MARE) AND BOUGHT A LOAD OF INFECTED FURS COMING FROM DALMATIA. MR DIDONNA AND HIS WIFE, PASQUA CAPPELLI, WERE THE EARLIEST PEOPLE TO BE INFECTED AND DIE IN NOICATTARO.

At last everyone gets what they deserve: the two villains end their days in prison; Grace continues her life in her luxurious house in the company of her inseparable and precious friend Liam.

I saw him, he walked toward me slowly. He had two black eyes like death, thick black hair, swollen lips, pointed ears like bats and two sharp teeth ready to bit me. He sighed as if he were thirsty… he had very long fingernails like claws. He wore a white shirt and from above he wore a fire red vest, he also had black pants and finally a very long cape. The closer he got to me, the more i smelled his stinking breath. He told me something hissing, I didn’t understand it; as he spoke he was getting closer and closer&nbsp;at a slow pace. I closed my eyes instinctively, but I never opened them again.

With the help of Oliver, they organize to kidnap Grace.&nbsp;The next morning Riley, knowing her twin's habits, meets her in the bar where she usually has her break. There Riley makes Grace drink a coffee, containing a sleeping drug. Oliver arrives and immediately places the body in the trunk of his car and takes her to the farm where, in the past, they usually spent their time. Once arrived, the two put Grace's body in a stable and tie it firmly to a beam and gag her. In the evening, Riley goes to her twin's house pretending to be Grace. Everything goes according to plan. Meanwhile, Oliver tamper with the brakes on Noah's car. As planned, Noah leaves the house in the morning to go to work by car but, as soon as he speeds up on a curve, he loses control of the car and presses the brake in vain, ending up in a ravine where he dies.

The plague in Noja

It was a warm summer evening I was walking through the country roads with the chirping of cicadas and the full moon. In the dark of the night a huge lighthouse in the distance illuminated a very large building, it looked like an abandoned place. Intrigued I approached and saw a wooden door stripped with an inscription: "TOY FACTORY". Immediately I entered thinking of entering a fairy world, full of colors instead I found myself in front of a terrifying place.It was dark all dusty full of cobwebs, we could hear strange noises coming from the upper floor.I armed myself with courage and with my hands opened a long curtain redhead that she carried above, with great fear she managed to climb; There were many dolls on a mechanical belt to make dolls suddenly this ribbon began to turn and the dolls came alive: they had pale faces, black eyes and wide open, her orange hair covered with cobwebs, a dress with creepy designs and black shoes with a cleat, were really horrible. Suddenly they started to come towards me, whispering words that I did not understand and that terrified me more and more. As I backed away someone grabbed me from the shoulders and covered my mouth with a big hand stained with blood, dragged me down the stairs and said: "run away" ...

Spread further, I set up three sanitary cordons: - The first around the neighboring villages; - The second surrounds the Conversano area; - The third around the province. To find the infected people, I will offer 1000 ducats to anyone who gives me information regarding them. If necessary, I will take other steps to contain the spread of the plague. I hope to see this terrible plague defeated as soon as possible. Prince Capece Zurlo 1815

I knew it. I shouldn’t have gone out that night. I went out with my friends and they asked me to play a strange game where evoke a strange entities, I didn’t believe so I did. The next morning I felt someone was looking at me, but when I turned there was anyone. I always feel the same sensation and there I saw him. He came up and said to me:-you liked to evoke me, now you will pay the consequence and then it disappeared. I just stood there. That night I just had nightmares about nightmares, I wasn’t sleeping, I wasn’t confused about what had happened. In the morning I feel something on my neck. It was him, he was lifting me with his hand; my heart was beating fast it was almost coming out of my chest.&nbsp; That was my END. He whispered in my ear:-this will the last time where you feeling your heart beat like that.- And so it was

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SCUOLA SECONDARIA DI PRIMO GRADO ISTITUTO "NICOLA PENDE" 

AT THE BEGINNING, NOBODY KNEW THE TRUTH: SOME DOCTORS WERE SENT IN ORDER TO CALM THE POPULATION AND THEY CLAIMED IT WAS "PUTRID EXANTHEMATOUS FEVER", WHICH PARTICULARLY STRUCK THE POOR AND WEAK PEOPLE. ONLY A MONTH LATER, THE DOCTORS WERE MORE PRECISE, SAYING THAT IT WAS THE "BUBONIC PLAGUE", BUT THE INFECTION HAD ALREADY SPREAD ALL OVER THE TOWN.

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The plague victims to be treated were taken to a&nbsp;center for diseases&nbsp;in Via Carmine or to the so called&nbsp;“Palazzo della Cultura” , a monastery that was transformed into a hospital in 1815. Dead people were buried under the church of the Lama or under the church of the Carmine. The tombs were locked with stones. The last plague victim of Noja was buried in via Pietro Colletta.

On the day of the funeral, the insurance agent arrives there to certify Noah's accidental death, allowing his wife to collect the insurance money. Unexpectedly he is Liam. As he sees Grace (who is instead Riley) , he hugs her to console his old friend and he notices a detail that makes him doubtful: a tattoo of three&nbsp;letters on her neck, the same one that he and Riley have too. Suddenly, he remembers that Grace has the tattoo on her ankle. When he comes back home, Liam, to put an end to this paranoia, takes a photo that they had taken years before. He is confused and he needs to reflect and concentrate. So he decides to go to the farm.

We suddenly found ourselves on a path to a cemetery, where in the distance you could see a small church with a dim light like that of a candle inside. Surrounded by tall trees, around us only tombstones and a strong rotten smell mixed with that of withered flowers. The wind blowing through the branches of the trees made a sound similar to the howling of many wolves, then three tolls of a bell...We sat on a marble slab really cold and dirty with fresh moss on it. "Oh my goodness,that was so scary !". Suddenly we noticed that the slab below us began to move with a kind of vibration; we jumped down and saw that the marble started to crumble and some great dust was formed which didn't let us see too clearly. Despite the dust we could see two bright red eyes that slowly came towards us: at first the fear blocked us, we were petrified.... Those red eyes wee getting closer and closer and our heart beat seemed to go crazy: " Let's run away!It's now or ever!". We resumed the path, watching our backs.....What a terrifying adventure!

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An introduction to the history of the Plague of Noja by the students of the class II C

December 25th, 1815 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Noicattaro Dear Diary, It is Christmas day. I’m locked in my house, because I'm afraid I have been affected by the plague: I feel&nbsp;a strong itch on the arms and I have a fever. Poor me!! In these days, if you walk through the streets of Noicattaro, there is no one!! You can’t imagine what a desolation!!!&nbsp; Only in the centre, near the church there is a lot of noise, because the “monatti” carried the ill people there. They carry them piled up one on top of the other, on old carts, stacked like animals to kill for meat. It is a horrible sight, you could not believe it!! A few days ago, while I was looking around and, as an investigator, trying to find out whose those suffering bodies were, I was stopped by a man with a strange mask that ended in a beak: he was a guard, who ordered me to come back home quickly.

ON THE BRIDGE OF THE ’LAMA’ WAS PLACED THE BARRIER WITH A DRAWBRIDGE, JUST TO LET FOOD AND SUPPLIES OF VARIOUS TYPES GO BY. NO ONE COULD GET IN OR OUT OF THE TOWN, ON PAIN OF DEATH. IN FACT, THE HEALTH MEASURES WERE APPLIED WITH EXTREME SEVERITY: THERE WERE ALSO TRIALS WITH DEATH SENTENCES.

CHIESA DEL CARMINE Church of the Carmine

The Church of the Carmine was completed in 1620 by the first Carmelite friars, who arrived in Noja in the second half of the 16th century, by the will of Donna Isabella Pappacoda, Countess of Noja and Marquise of Capurso. In 1809 the friars temporarily moved away from the convent; later, in 1813 it was sold to the Municipality of Noja. During the period of the plague (1815-1816), thanks to its isolated position and its dimension, the church temporarily became a hospital.

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THE PLAGUE OF NOJA.docx

The convent of the Capuchins

The convent dates back to 1589, the year of the construction of the nearby Church of the Capuchins. When the plague broke out in 1816, the health authorities established that it was used as a hospital (lazzaretto).

This morning I saw another terrible scene that left me speechless: I met an old man with a bell attached to his foot who was limping and coughing, while the people near him ran away, shouting&nbsp;horrible words. I wish I hadn't been there at that moment! How can they&nbsp;be so numb? Could the fear of death make people inhuman? Bye for now, I'll be back to write to you soon.

Thursday, December 2nd, 1815 Dear Diary, today I am very happy because my father is better, he has got no fever and also his cough seems to have improved. I heard my mom talking to her aunt and saying we are safe now because the worst is over. Hope has finally returned at home and I feel more confident even though the general situation in the country is still very critical and we must continue to be on guard. Someone thinks it is a divine curse to restore joy and earthly justice, I don't know if this is true and that God wants to punish men for their sins, but I still hope that good will triumph and that we can soon return to our normal lives. See you soon, dear diary, I promise you that I will always behave well, so I will do my part to save myself, my loved ones and my country. Andrew

There was a barrier with a drawbridge on the bridge (known as Ponte della Lama) to allow the passage of only food and supplies of various types. Nobody could enter or leave the town, on pain of death.

The first plague victim in the town was Liborio Didonna who, on the evening of November 21st, 1815, felt sick and dizzy and due of high fever, died on November 23rd. His wife, Pasqua Cappelli, was also infected and died on the day after.

The students of the class 2E give voice to the citizens of Noicattaro living in 1815, during the plague,&nbsp; identifying themselves with the victims.

An introduction to the history of the Plague of Noja by the students of the class II C

The important thing is not to establish if one is afraid or not, it is to know how to live with one's fear and not be influenced by it. Here, courage is this! from the students of the class II D

The students of the class II F describe the places in Noja used to host and heal the plague victims. From the stories told by the principal characters, emerges all the drama lived by the villagers of the ancient Noja during the plague’s years (from the students of the class II A).

The students of the class II E give voice to the citizens of Noicattaro living in 1815, during the plague,&nbsp; identifying themselves with the victims.

The students of the class IIB wrote a detective story about a case of mistaken identity. Try to solve the case following the clues left by the students in the tale and in their handmade drawings .

While Liam is walking along the path, he hears gasps and&nbsp;screams coming from a stable, then armed with a stick found on the ground, he looks around and finally finds Grace gagged and tied to a beam. Liam soon helps his friend and informs her that her husband is dead. So she decides, with all the determination she has in her body, to contact immediately the police. They briefly explain the situation and that Riley and Oliver now own of a lot of money from Noah's life insurance.

Dear Franco, today I have been locked up in the cellar for exactly ten days. This horrendous disease, which affected all the citizens of Noicattaro,&nbsp;forced me and my family to stay locked in the cellar. The sicks are so many that they have been placed in the Carmelite convent. My family and I check ourselves every day hoping to have no symptoms. Being locked up at home is boring. Food is expensive and I have nothing to do. Sometimes I try to read in order to spend time, but it doesn't work. My father is putting himself in danger for us. Every day he goes a long way on foot, to find something to eat. He told me that doctors are the only ones who can go outside, wearing very scary bird-shaped masks. I hope you are fine. Write me soon. Nicola

[N.B. TEXT INSPIRED BY A TESTIMONY ORALLY HANDED FROM GENERATIONS IN THE STUDENT’S FAMILY.]

I arrive in the room to check his conditions and and I realize that he is cured, after the necessary checks, so he will be able to be discharged. It's four o'clock there was a new case of plague that was entrusted to me. His name is Francesco, he has just turned 10, I have him made a syringe, hoping it will heal even if it is unlikely. Now I am going to church for vespers. Around 11 in the evening I received a shocking news concerning Francis; I ran to him, but my colleagues were in his room who took away his body; so I found out he was dead. Although very sad from the death of Francesco, now I return to my cell rest.

Dear Gradma, How are you? I'm not so well!! Mum has a high fever and big red bubbles on her body. Dad, instead, doesn't want me nea him. Here, in our town, there are a lot of people dying or trying to escape, but obviously it is impossible!! Yesterday I even saw some bizzarre gentlemen with a strange mask, I think there are doctors but I'm not sure... Dad says that if the situation gets worse or if Mom still fells bad I will move there with you. I think he told you about this opportunity in the letter he was writing last night. Ale is fine, he can't wait to see his mother and you too. I have to go now, I'll write you a new letter as possible A hug Adry

The convent-hospital was divided into four halls and two rooms. The first hall contained the most recent patients; the second the infected; the third those with buboes; and the fourth hosted those in whom the infection had not developed. The rooms, on the other hand, were used for critical patients.

Unfortunately, after the wedding, the three friends split up and each pursues their own career: Riley goes to live with her old friend Oliver, who is rude as always; Grace, after her honeymoon with Noah, becomes the head of a fashion company; while Liam starts working for a life insurance company.

I am living through a very difficult period together with my country, due to the spread of the plague. It is a situation that scares me a lot. I am very worried about my beloved Noja, my close friends have been infected and are worried about our health. Hundreds of people are dying. To try to contain the infection and prevent it from happening

During the plague of 1815-1816, it was used as a cemetery; in fact, the earliest 42 plague victims were buried in the basement of the Convent. In the garden of the same convent, sick people’s and the deads’ belongings were burned to limit the spread of the infection.

A few years ago, I decided to go and visit the largest and most famous aquarium in Europe, the one in Genoa which I had heard a lot about. It was the first time my parents allowed me to go out alone. What happened, I will never forget! As I was heading towards the beautiful city, all of a sudden the car stopped. I decided to go downstairs to understand what the problem was, the engine seemed to have failed. I tried to call a tow truck, but the cell phone didn't pick up; so I decided to look around and see next to me a majestic&nbsp;castle next to me. I recognized it immediately, it was the Malaspina Castle. My grandmother always told me the legend of this castle telling me it was haunted by ghosts, but I obviously didn't believe it. I decided to enter. Throwing open the large door, I noticed the walls enriched with terrifying sculptures representing scenes of torture. The entrance was lit by a small candle, which went out after a few seconds. I turned on the flashlight of my cell phone, frightened I continued to search the castle. I found the bathroom, went in and saw a broken mirror stained with blood, small parts of the wall had collapsed and the walls were damp. After the bathroom there was the kitchen. That room didn't really look good: the stove was burnt and there was a nauseating smell. I felt a shiver go down my spine, I started shaking and I heard the voice of a girl singing a chant and then I saw a ball fall down the stairs. My blood ran cold.I began to have the feeling of being observed and so I decided to get out of the castle. I went down the stairs quickly with my heart in my throat, my heart seemed to come out of my chest, as it was beating wildly. I stopped abruptly, I felt attracted by a mysterious force. I entered a room: there were strange writings on the walls, nails everywhere, tools for torture and above all a smell of decomposition, of corpses. In a corner I noticed a small cradle, I took courage and went over. The door closed behind me and a voice said to me: "I've been waiting for you!" I turned and saw her ... I'm finally back in my castle and I can play with my ball ... forever !!

I Was a group work with my friends:the task was&nbsp;to describe a horror place, one night we went around,looking for a horror place. Suddently we seemed to see a wolf of ghosts. The Trees became taller,shadows disappeared to the sky,and the lianas moved in the wind like a giant spider web. Water and mud became one,an expanse shimmering lite glass is as dangerous as a leghold trap. There were strange noises cries of animals and whispers of nightmares,smell of rotten and predatory breath. Honestly we did not understand where we were,it is precisely&nbsp;for this reason that the story became more dense interesting. It Was impossible to distinguish the good earth from quicksand Well,you risked ending up inside and then being swallowed. In addition the glow attracted the animals,and six goblin maybe did not exist,the snakes you have to be sure. Suddenly a kind of suffocated cry begins to hear noises,suddenly it begins to say to myself:a ghost,a ghost,the heart rumbled in my chest i had made three leaps and now you are on the bridge when that creature was about to jump on me,but my friends arrived and it escaped. I knew that this was a more unique than rare feeling,in this way we had concluded that horror work. On the other hand,nothing more was known&nbsp;about that creature,and every day I always think about what and where it could be. But it must be said that we had not yet understood where we were.

I found myself on the train and immediately after two boys enter with a strange air, the first seemed calm had a strange color of eyes, a mixture of green and yellow where the light of the moon was reflected in them, his body was very massive and his hairy legs, he wore a short-sleeved shirt and ripped shorts. the second boy, on the other hand, was very agitated as he opened and closed his right hand and his leg never stopped shaking. suddenly the second boy got up and picked up his phone and headed for the next car. in that instant the phone rang and I answered: a strange voice repeated to me to be careful of a tall and very hairy guy just like the guy who was next to me, my heart reached my throat, a long shiver ran through me my back and I couldn't stop shaking. all of a sudden there was an intermittence the lights went on and off and I was able to glimpse his shadow: he was a tall hairy werewolf with two long and sharp teeth. I understood that it was my end.&nbsp;

I should never have done that experiment ... It was the winter of 1881, I was in my laboratory and I wanted to find a cure for cancer. By mixing two very acidic substances, I made the biggest mistake of my life. A rancid smell was dispersed in the air, it smelled of rottenness, the room was filled with black climbing plants, they grew more and more. I had created a monster! The plants reached the electrical system, blocking the door. It was my end! I remembered the emergency door, I managed to escape, I thought I was safe but I forgot to close the exit and the virus was now out. “Run away! Run away! ”- I yelled at the people… They didn't listen to me. The virus arrived in the city, there was no escape. Buildings and houses were enveloped by the same vines that had taken over my laboratory and the citizens tried to escape in vain. The local news was already talking about "OMEGA VIRUS". My heart was in my throat and as I ran for shelter, I cut myself with a rusty iron and my blood fell to the ground attracting the virus. I had no energy to escape, I turned left and right but in the end I found myself in a dead end. The roots were getting closer and closer, black as pitch, thorny like many needles ready to prick me. He began to squeeze me and my breath slowly went away. The last thing I saw was death ...

NOJA'S PLAGUE 4th January 1816, 13:04 Doctor Montanari Today, I, doctor Montanari, I will be interviewed by the Press to give them infos and news about the epidemic that has infected lots of people. During the interview, I gave to the journalist the current situation: -The number of the infected people is growing up because the disease is very infectious and really contagious; the most evident symptoms are weakness, delirium, nausea, buboes in the groin and under the armpits, headache, and, after about a week (also before), the sick can die. -Dr. Montanari, can you explain us how did the first patient become infected and how the plague spread among the villagers?-, -The first patient was a person called Liborio Didonna, he was infected because he was in a work travel in the Balkans; the next day of the return, he went in Rutigliano to sell some grapes; coming back&nbsp;home (in Noja), he had nausea and dizziness. The next day, the fever also rose considerably and he soon went into coma; he died on 23 November 1815. On 24 November, his wife, Pasqua, died. They were the first two victims that started a long chain of 716 dead and 5300 infected.-. -If in the hospital , other people arrive . How do you take care of them? In case of the therapy failure, what do you do? Do you use special equipment to enter in contact with them?-, -The hospital is divided in six rooms: the first is for the new arrived, the second is for the infected, the third for dying people and the fourth for the asymptomatic. To heal them we use broth, sweat, and china’s potions. In the capuchin’s convent were remained twelve friars of which seven died after from atrocious sufferings. The dead people are buried in some catacombs under the “S. Maria della Lama” church. Our protection is a leather mask like a crow’s beak and in tip there are some minty leaves and herbs that don’t allow us to breath the infected air.-. -Thank you, doctor; I will soon inform the town’s News. Thanks-.&nbsp;

Between 1815 and 1816 Noicattaro, a small town in the South of Italy, was affected by the Bubonic plague, known as the "Black Death". At the beginning, Noja had about 5400 inhabitants, but about 700 people, mainly between the ages of 31 and 50, died because of this epidemic.

The students of our school tried to identify themselves with Noian citizens of that time and wrote personal letters or diary pages reporting information, sensations, emotions of people living that difficult period, so similar to what we are experiencing nowadays.

KING FERDINAND IV OF BOURBON REACTED ENCAPSULATING THE TOWN OF NOICATTARO TO PREVENT THE EPIDEMIC FROM SPREADING TO THE REST OF THE KINGDOM OF NAPLES: EACH PERSON, WHO TRIED TO GO BEYOND THE BORDER AREA, WAS SHOT. IT WAS ORDERED TO CLOSE NOYA IN A TRIPLE MILITARY CORDON (OVER 1200 MEN), WITH ARTILLERY AND CAVALRY, TO GUARD THE INFECTED TOWN. SOME CANNONS WERE PLACED ON THE HILL OF TRISORIO.

IN ADDITION TO THE TWO DITCHES TO ISOLATE THE TOWN, ANOTHER CORDON WAS BUILT FAR FROM ABOUT TEN MILES AND A LARGER ONE WAS BUILT TO ISOLATE THE ENTIRE PROVINCE OF BARI.

My father was a merchant who exported goods to the East; on 30 November he left for work and returned after ten days On his return, however, he had a fever of 39 degrees; after the appearance of boils, he was taken to the Carmelite convent in the second room. At the same time the ban was imposed to leave the house because the plague was a very contagious disease. &nbsp; On December 24th, my twin brother had the first symptoms including very high fever and now after that we are filled with blisters, and it was so, that we knew that we had been infected. &nbsp;We were immediately taken to the convent of the Carmelites with so much fear. &nbsp;Meanwhile we were told of&nbsp;our father's death. After two weeks my brother and I finally returned home, perfectly healed , but with the sadness of not seeing our father any more.

The friars were ordered to leave the convent to avoid contagion, but many of them preferred to stay and assist sick people. Unfortunately, some friars were infected and died. In 1866 the Capuchins were forced to leave the convent which, was destined for hospitalization. Today the building is home to the offices for health services.

King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, to avoid the spread of this infection, isolated Noja by creating a ditch dug around the town and establishing sanitarie cordons under the command of the Lieutenant Diaz. One day the army shot a noble suffering from the plague, who tried to escape jumping out from the window of his house, now called the Red House.&nbsp;

They introduce themselves and start chatting and, after some hesitation, they confess to the two girls that they are twins. Grace and Riley burst into tears hugging each other and then Grace runs into the arms of her real parents. They spend their afternoon chatting and laughing. At night, Grace comes back home happily.

The plague of Noja

by Santa Matarrese

This Christmas has such a weird taste! My mum can’t even make almond milk, my favourite Christmas dessert, yuck!! All our traditions have sudden disappeared and we find ourselves doing very strange things. For example, I’m urinating in our bathtub, because my neighbour advised us to take a bath in urine to heal. Who knows if it works! The very idea makes me feel sick. I promise I’ll write you soon because I feel very lonely and desperate. Your Nicola

It was night, I was with my friends in an abandoned cemetery. so Just for fun; there was a terrifying stench and a wind strong enough to freeze blood. None of my friends knew why we found there, but one thing was certain that night it would have been the worst ever. At the sight of the coffins, we decided to come back, we were terrified. Suddenly the cemetery gates did closed; we were scared apart because there was nobody. We saw a shadow next to a coffin, and while we decided to go and check, the shadow disappeared. Then we found a letter inside one glass bottle on which it was written that no One of us would have got out alive. We knew we had made one nonsense and we looked for a safe place to pass the night. We fell asleep, and after a while we were awakened by a loud thud. It was fallen a tree before our eyes, we knew we had to do something, that we had to get away from some place dismal. Suddenly we saw the Shadow again running towards us. My friends managed to escape. But not me. I stumbled upon a tree branch, the Shadow the closer he got, the more I felt my death near, It started raining and the Shadow came back; I understood that he was afraid of the rain and I took the opportunity to escape and reach out to my friends. We thought we made it and instead the Shadow reappeared right in front of us, but this time it wasn't alone; we were surrounded, One of my friends finally saw the gate we had entered and ran away without looking back. We didn't see that cemetery again, when after some days we returned, there was nothing, only one large garden with many colorful flowers.

THE MYSTERIOUS MAN

On a dark night I was coming back home, that night was cold and stormy, there was not a living soul. I was in front of the door of the house and I heard a slow rustle, I did not notice it because I was convinced that it was the wind, then I heard it a second time and then a third and a fourth. I became suspicious and decided to turn around, I didn't see anyone. When I was about to open the door, I heard the rustle again, I turned around and this time I saw a package that said "open me". I spent two minutes thinking if I should open it or not and then I decided to open it. Inside I found a bloodstained knife and a note that read: -This is your blood! At first I didn't understand what it meant, then I saw drops of blood dripping from my left arm and I realized there was a cut. I was scared because I didn't understand when and where I was hurt. I began to look around and saw that at the end of the street a black shape could be seen, slowly moving towards me. He was a man neither too tall nor too short, he had a tunic that covered him from head to toe in an intense black color. His hands were covered in black gloves, in his right hand he had a bloodstained knife and his face was covered with a mask. I was scared and I looked for something to defend myself, it occurred to me to take the knife that I had found inside the box, I ran to get it but I realized that it was gone. I didn't understand where he could be and I thought that the man was the one who had it, but there was one thing that I just couldn't understand how and when he got it. But now I couldn't waste any more time, that man was getting closer and closer so I decided to run as fast as possible for help. The man began to chase me, my heart was beating very strongly with fear, my legs were slowly giving way, so I decided to stop behind some bushes. I no longer saw the man and therefore I thought I had seen him, but all of a sudden I felt my arm being caressed and when I turned around, a cloud enveloped me.

On January 1st, 1989, two twins, Riley and Grace Grayson, were born in a family with financial problems, for this reason one of them, Grace, is given into the care of a rich family: the Smiths. The two sisters are grown up in two very different social contexts: Riley, after a difficult childhood, becomes a bad girl and hangs out with young criminals, in particular, Oliver Miller, who is not really a good example for her, but in Riley's eyes he is the perfect guy and she falls in love with him. Grace, on the other hand, is a perfect girl: a good student, rich, kind and caring. On January 1st, 2004, at the age of fifteen, Grace receives an invitation from an unknown family who live in a poor neighborhood of her town. That day she arrives at their ruined house and a lady opens the door. This woman is slim, with a kind face very similar to hers; she invites Grace to sit in the living room where she finds a gentleman and a girl who is identical to her.&nbsp;

THE PLAGUE IS THE MOST KNOWN EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF NOICATTARO, BECAUSE OF THE PAIN SUFFERED BY PEOPLE AND BECAUSE OF THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES ON THE ECONOMIC AND THE DEMOGRAPHIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOWN.

Grace and Riley start seeing each other and become friends. One day, while they are having a walk in the country, they meet Liam Jhonson, a funny and cute boy of their same age, and they became best friends. During their afternoons spent together, they find a secret place, just for the three of them: an abandoned farm in the country. They spend their time chatting, laughing and playing together but Riley is always envious of Grace because her sister has everything she has never had. After five years Grace announces to her sister and Liam that she is going to marry Noah White, the richest and most talented businessman in the town. On this special occasion they take a photo.

"Chiesa della Lama"

"Church of the Lama"

The church was built in 1611 outside the town; it, also known as the centre of the rites of Holy Week, was the seat of the Augustinian convent. In fact, in the church there are 10 simulacra in Lecce papier-mâché from the late nineteenth century, representing the moments of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

THE "BUBONIC PLAGUE”, ALSO KNOWN AS THE "BLACK DEATH", HIT NOJA (NOW NOICATTARO, A TOWN NEAR BARI) BETWEEN 1815-1816. IT PRESENTED SYMPTOMS, SUCH AS FEVER WITH DELIRIUM, SWOLLEN LYMPH NODES - IN PARTICULAR IN THE INGUINAL OR AXILLARY AREA - AND RESPIRATORY DIFFICULTIES. IF LEFT UNTREATED, IT COULD LEAD TO DEATH.

Monday, November 23rd, 1815 Dear Diary, today I started writing to you because I am forced to stay at home and I have nothing else to do. I don't know why I'm locked here, but my dad is sick and all he does is coughing and moaning. Mom is very worried and she is always telling me not to go near him. We know that in Noicattaro there are a lot of ill people and unfortunately many of them died. What is happening?

Saturday, November 28th, 1815 Dear Diary, the situation is getting worse; I'm afraid, I miss my father and when I try to enter his room, I always end to be punished by my mother. She started coughing a few days ago, I suppose she is also not well. I am really worried and I don't know what to do, I only can&nbsp;help her going out to buy something to eat. So, today, I got my hood and I went to the bread shop. As I was walking down the street I saw a man carrying away, on a cart, the bodies of sick people, now lifeless. I wonder why people die and why they have to suffer so much, but I don't have an answer, I just know that it is so.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Noicattaro May 27th1815 Dear Bartolomeo, I received news that unfortunately you have been infected with this horrible desease that everyone calls “the plague”. I am terrified by what is happening to people and in particular also to my fellow citizens who have been infected and died because of this pandemic. I know you are in big financial troubles and you are having a hard time. Even here in Noicattaro, it’s difficult to work or to get food. The land that our farmers cultivated has now been raided by robbers and bandits, so it has been abandoned and now there are only weeds. I hope you can find medical herbs and a doctor who can help you relieving your pain. Your plague conditions forced you to move away from your family. I can only imagine the pain you feel at not being able to hug your wife and your beautiful daughters. I hope this terrible period will end soon and you will be able to come back to a normal life with your loved ones.&nbsp; Yours&nbsp; Gabriele

UNDER THE CHURCH "MADONNA DELLA LAMA", THE EARLIEST PLAGUE VICTIMIS' CATACOMBS WERE FOUND. EACH CELL WAS OCCUPIED BY A PLAGUE VICTIM AND IT WAS CLOSED OFF WITH A STONE SEAL.

THE CRYPTS OF THE MONASTERIUM WEREN'T ENOUGH, SO PEOPLE DECIDED TO BURY THE PLAGUE VICTIMS FAR FROM THE TOWN: A SPECIFIC BURIAL PLACE WAS BUILT NEAR WHAT IS NOW "PIETRO COLLETTA" STREET.

From the stories told by the principal characters,&nbsp;emerges all the drama lived by the villagers of the ancient Noja during the plague’s years.

Le case di osservazione Recovery Houses

Recovery houses were built to heal people who shared common diseases; suspected plague patients, or those who had overcome the disease with the healing of the buboes. Examples of recovery houses in Noicattaro are: Palazzo Antonelli, Dipierro's house, the Convent of the capuchins, “where 12 friars assisted the sick people and seven of them died”, and Palazzo Lamanna.

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