Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Triniti Lersch | 200925-N-GK686-1381 CHIARAMONTE GULFI, Italy (Sept. 25, 2020) Antonino De Marco,...... read more read more
When the land was confiscated from the Mafia and bought by a non-profit organization, no one knew that it was sitting on top of an ancient Greek city.
Nostra Signora di Gulfi is a Chiaramonte Gulfi-based non-profit organization that promotes the integration of African migrants, including asylum seekers and refugees, through projects that focus on activities such as farming, food production, various agricultural activities, and craftsmanship. Eventually, they would even support the archaeological dig located on the property.
For a few hours a day, the organizations also hosts a small group of inmates from a local juvenile jail. As an alternative to detention, the inmates take part in educational opportunities and community service in order to give them a chance to live more successful lives.
There are currently 50 adult asylum seekers, 12 unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, and ten Sicilian juvenile inmates who work with the organization. Originally, they gardened and farmed, but that quickly changed when one of them stumbled upon a grave site.
Naval Air Station Sigonella Sailor 360, a Navy leadership training program, partnered with the non-profit organization to help clear debris from the site, which will help create a path and dig through the land that’s believed to be the cemetery of an ancient Greek city. Afterwards, the program showed a video about life on a ship and the juvenile inmates were able to ask the Sailors questions.
“Today’s event is very important because this is a great example for the kids we have in rehabilitation who are here as an alternate to prison,” said Director Gianvito Distefano “So, to see some foreign service members who are committing to helping the Sicilians trace back their ancient origins, it is very meaningful.”
The archeological dig is being conducted under the supervision of the Ragusa historic heritage department for the archaeological assets. Archaeologists and students from the University of Bologna in mainland Italy are also participating.
During the group’s time out in the land, they discovered a possible gravesite, and although they can’t open it just yet, they were excited to find it.
“Today’s goal was to find more graves in the ancient cemetery,” said Dr. Francesco Cardinale, the archeologist who supervised the NAS Sigonella volunteers. “We actually found a grave today, named number 123, thanks to two Sailors. There was some urgent digging to be done in this part of the excavation site.”
“I think today turned out good, with all the good will and good attitude from the people that came out today,” said Sailor 360 Community Relations (COMREL) Coordinator Naval Air Crewman [Mechanical] 1st Class Derek Leach. “Hopefully we can come back at another event later and maybe see some excavations in process. So far it’s been a great day.”
The Sailors who participated in this COMREL volunteer event enjoyed making an impact in the community of their host nation.
“Being a part of this COMREL was awesome!” said Yeoman 2nd Class Craig Steward. “Being a yeoman, people typically say we just sit behind the desk and push paperwork. So, being able to get out of the office and do some hard, physical, demanding work, which consisted of clearing vegetation for local archeologist to do their job, I would say it was a beneficial day.”
So far, archaeologists have only discovered the cemetery of the ancient city, but they are working on excavating the actual homes of the people who are buried down there. They are currently investigating the site to discover the way of life and traditions of these people who lived 1,700 years ago. Over the past few months, through a joint effort by the local heritage office and the migrants, 110 ancient graves have been discovered.
“It was pretty exciting because I thought we were going to discover something really ancient, that no one’s ever discovered before,” said Aviation Maintenance Administrationman 2nd Class Cody Mason.
The COMREL program at NAS Sigonella sponsors many events throughout Sicily. However, working on an ancient Greek archeological site dating back to the 3rd century BCE on the property of a non-profit organization that helps young inmates and immigrants adapt to the community is a rare occurrence.
“Not only are we helping all the mayors send a message to protect the environment, like with the beach cleanup but we are also helping the host nation preserve the historic heritage,” said NAS Sigonella COMREL Director, Dr. Alberto Lunetta. “There are a lot of places in Sicily that hold historic value since there were several rules, from the ancient Romans and Greeks, so everywhere you dig you find something.”
Archeology helps connect the present to the past, as well as showing the cultural heritage of a civilization. Being able to find those that established what is currently the city you live in is exciting and adds historical significance to the city.
“Uncovering the people in the ancient cities who were buried in the cemetery, we are trying to establish a connection,” said Saverio Scerra, Ragusa Province’s head archeologist.
The Mayor of Chiaramonte Gulfi Sebastiano Gurrieri, Ragusa Province’s Head Archeologist Saverio Acerra, and the superintendent for the archeological assets Antonino De Marco thanked the volunteers them for their assistance in the historical preservation of their ancestry.
“I’m very honored and thankful for an important military service to come out here and help the city,” said Gurrieri. “Thanks to the help of the organization, it is going to improve the culture and environment of the city, so today has been really important.”
| Date Taken: | 10.02.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 10.05.2020 03:47 |
| Story ID: | 380059 |
| Location: | SIGONELLA, IT |
| Web Views: | 128 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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