Amici di TP article
Caption: Lalli-Persiani Palace-Building[1]
    
A museum for chalk but also an entire village inside a museum: this is      an old idea that has re-emerged recently (1996) to safeguard what is left of      the most typical work traditions of Gessopalena[2], extraction      and working of the chalk rock. The original nucleus of the village lies on a      mass of this chalk rock. In the past few months, following excavation work,      various buildings of the Old Village have been recovered. After the war,      following the frightful collapse of the eastern wall of rock that lies above      the old quarry, the "Pretalucente[3]" (Shining      Stone[4]) was irredeemably disfigured.
Although various premises belonging to the Town Hall are available to      exhibit craft and agricultural tools and equipment, old photos and other      things that visually represent the history of chalk workers, none of them      has the typical characteristic structure of a "living" museum, rather than a "dead" one; not even some of the recently restructured buildings in the Old      Village.
There is, however, a private building which has all the      characteristics needed for a live museum, as old as the Old Village itself,      of which today it represents the most interesting part, even if it is little      known. This is the huge cellar of the Persiani Palace, whose owner,      Aureliano Lalli Persiani, has said it is available for the Town Hall to make      use of, provided they equip it as a museum. The manner and timing of its use      are yet to be decided and verified. This is an opportunity that the Town      Hall and the cultural associations of Gessopalena, as well as the citizens      interested in the history and guardianship of their wild native village,      cannot afford the luxury of allowing to pass them by. This opportunity will      not arise again, and, with the demographic crisis that is taking place in      our villages, (if we do not grasp it) this last possibility of fixing with      dignity a part of our historic past and leaving it to the few descendants      who will follow on, will disappear.
The cellars of the Persiani Palace, which figure as the only almost      intact bastion placed at the entrance of the Old Village, were dug out of      the chalk. Until the 1940ï¿½s and 1950ï¿½s they were the site of an olive-press,      a stable ï¿½ which later became a garage ï¿½ and a normal warehouse for food      products. Visiting the cellars one has the impression of entering and      exiting a series of Chinese boxes, with steps, windows and French doors      inserted and carved into the rock, like in olden times. It is a fascinating      experience, but unfortunately it has been put in danger by recent repaving,      undertaken by the Town Hall, of the overhanging little road, Via Castello,      at the entrance to the village. This gives rise to continuous flooding of      the Persiani cellars due to infiltration by rain water which drips off the      chalk walls, endangering them in the long run, and also the structure of the      Palace. The foundations of this building rest on the underlying rock walls.      Another problem is that the restructuring and support works carried out by      the owner himself in the last few years, now risk being irredeemably worn      out.
Aureliano Lalli Persiani did not put up controversial posters, nor did      he write to the newspapers, or use any other gaudy methods. He simply let      the problem be known, which arose a year ago when a local firm repaved about      20 metres of Via Castello.
Renewing the water resistance (impermeability) of the little road      would not be excessively costly, rather there would be a gain for the entire "chalk community" of Gessopalena, for they would then have full use and      enjoyment of the cellars of Gessopalenaï¿½s oldest Palace (which in its      present form dates back to the 17th Century). Its owners, the Persianis,      have been protagonists in the history of the province of Chieti for several      hundred years, but even this is something the "chalk" villagers of      Gessopalena are ignoring.
Translator's notes:
[1]
The Italian word "Palazzo" means both "Palace" and "Building". It is difficult in this      case to know which of the two words it would be better to use, either could      be appropriate, hence I have used both!
[2]
Gessopalena - This small mountain village in Abruzzo takes its name from the chalk      quarries of the area, and has a wealth of medieval monuments. It lies to the      right of the Aventine Valley. Gessopalena dominates the surrounding      countryside, including the "La Morgia" rock formation see:- http://majella.8m.com/
Historically this domination was useful in its defence, and also the      village could protect the way to the rich pastures of the Majella when      necessary. Gessopalena was inhabited in prehistoric and Roman times; its      written history dates from the 12th Century AD.
In the early Middle Ages Gessopalena consisted of a group of houses      clinging to a big rock called "Pietra Lucente" (Shining Stone) on top of      which was an ancient castle. At that time Gessopalena was the main      commercial centre in the Aventine valley. Later on the population moved      downwards along the ancient "Via Peligna" to the site where the modern town      is today.
[3]
"Pretalucente" (dialect) = "Pietra Lucente" or Shining Stone ï¿½ an old name given to the      rock on which the ancient village of Gessopalena was built.
[4]
Shining Stone ï¿½ The rock underneath Gessopalena      is Gypsum (Hydrated Calcium Sulphate) used to make plaster of Paris,      blackboard chalk, wall board, some cements, paint filler, ornamental stone, fertiliser etc. Since the mountainside on      which the ancient village lay was a huge mass of gypsum, due to its      particular crystalline structure, from some angles it can take on a certain      shine and depending on how the rays of the sun would strike it, at certain      times of day it would become especially brilliant and shining.
Gypsum
is one of the more common minerals in sedimentary      environments. The largest deposits known occur in strata from      the Permian age. It is a major rock forming mineral that produces massive      beds, usually from precipitation out of highly saline waters. Since it forms      easily from saline water, gypsum can have many inclusions of other minerals      and even trapped bubbles of air and water.
Gypsum has several variety names that are widely used in the mineral      trade:-
Selenite is the colourless and transparent variety that shows a        pearl like lustre and has been described as having a moon like glow. The        word selenite comes from the Greek for Moon and means moon rock.
Satin Spar is another variety; it has a compact fibrous aggregate.        This variety has a very satin-like look that gives a play of light up and        down the fibrous crystals.
Alabaster is a fine grained massive material and is an ornamental        stone that has been used in fine carvings for centuries, even eons.
Desert Rose - Rosette shaped Gypsum with brown sand        inclusions.
Gypsum Rock - Rock composed mostly of the mineral Gypsum, but        also contain impurities such as Calcite, Anhydrite, Rock Salt, Dolomite,        Limonite, and clay.
Gypsum is one of the most widely used minerals in the world and it      literally surrounds us every day.  Most gypsum in the United States is      used to make wallboard for homes, offices, and commercial buildings; a      typical new American home contains more than 7 metric tons of gypsum alone.  Moreover, gypsum is used worldwide in concrete for highways, bridges,      buildings, and many other structures that are part of our everyday life.  Gypsum also is used extensively as a soil conditioner on large tracts of      land in suburban areas, as well as in agricultural regions.
Industrial uses
Sheetrock or wallboard, a construction material
Plaster. a construction material.
Solidifying earth (cast earth construction)
Name          Origin:
Gypsum from          the Greek, gyps meaning "burned" mineral.
Selenite from the Greek in allusion to its pearly lustre (moon light)          on cleavage fragments.
The word gypsum is derived from the Greek meaning 'to cook', in reference      to the burnt or calcined mineral. Because the gypsum from the quarries of      the Montmartre district of Paris has long furnished burnt gypsum used for      various purposes this material has been called plaster-of-Paris.
In a small number of Gypsum specimens, water gets trapped inside a      crystal in a hollow channel while the crystal forms. When such a crystal is      rotated, a water "bubble" moves around inside it toward the lowest point in      the channel. Such specimens are considered a mineralogical oddity, and are      very much sought after by collectors.
Gypsum is an industrially important mineral. It is the primary ingredient      of plaster-of-Paris (finely ground Gypsum) and is also used in the      production of cement. It is also the main component of sheet-rock. It is      used as a flux for creating earthenware, and can be used as a fertilizer.      The variety Alabaster is carved for ornamental use, such as      artistic sculptures and pottery. It is porous and is therefore easily dyed.      The fibrous Satin Spar variety is sometimes cut into cabochons for      collectors because of its strong cat's eye effect.
Fine Gypsum specimens are very popular      among mineral collectors, especially the varieties Selenite and Desert Rose.
 
4. Group of fragile      acicular crystals
5. Platy rosette      crystals
6. Long, slender, bent      crystal
7. Satin Spar
Heating gypsum above approximately 150ï¿½C (302ï¿½F) partially dehydrates the      mineral, by driving off exactly 75% of the water contained in its chemical      structure.
The dehydration (specifically known as calcination) begins at      approximately 80ï¿½C (176ï¿½F) and the heat energy delivered to the gypsum at      this time (the heat of hydration) goes into driving off      water (turning it into water vapor), not into increasing the temperature of      the mineral. As water is lost, the temperature of the gypsum slowly      increases until all the water has been removed, then begins rising normally      at a quicker rate. The ability of hydrated gypsum to remain at relatively      low temperatures, even if a flame is applied directly to it for a short      period of time, is exploited by drywall to confer fire resistance to the      wooden frames of houses and other buildings. Even if a fire is impinging      directly on a sheet of drywall, the wood frame behind it will remain at a      relatively low temperature, preventing the destruction of the wood and the      collapse of the structure, (until eventually too much water has been lost      from the gypsum, when the wood will heat up and then burn).
The partially dehydrated mineral is called calcium sulphate hemihydrate      or calcined gypsum (though more commonly known as plaster of Paris).      Calcined gypsum has an unusual property: when mixed with water at normal      (ambient) temperatures, it recombines with the water that was driven off      during calcination, and then sets to form a strong gypsum crystal lattice;      this property is made use of in forming plaster casts to set broken bones.
Most minerals, when rehydrated, simply form liquid or semi-liquid pastes,      or remain powdery. Gypsum, on the other hand, forms a strong crystal      structure immediately upon receiving the water, and this phenomenon is      responsible for gypsum's ease of being cast into sheets (for drywall),      sticks (for blackboard chalk), molds (to set broken bones, or create molds      for metal casting), and other forms. Small amounts of calcined gypsum are      added to earth to create strong structures directly from cast earth, an      alternative to adobe (which loses its strength when wet).