How did people experience modernity in the region of Bambarone La Masseria?

However, it was Napoleon Bonaparte who gave the first impetus to modernisation and progress in Puglia: in 1806, after the invasion of French troops, he enthroned his brother Joseph Bonaparte as King of Naples. Dissatisfied with him, however, he deported him to Spain in 1808 and installed his brother-in-law Joachim Murat as king. 

Although it was another period of occupation, southern Italy owes him the establishment of a modern administration and the abolition of the feudal structures that had existed until then. In 1809, Murat introduced the Napoleonic Code, which for the first time legalised divorce, civil marriage and adoption. In the same year, a law was passed ordering the closure of monasteries throughout the kingdom and the transfer of property to the state. The establishment of a land registry, the introduction of a land tax, the liberalisation of trade and the stimulation of modern construction all led to a strong push towards enlightenment and modernity.

A few years later, however, the Napoleonic era was over and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, established by the Congress of Vienna, fell to the Spanish Bourbons in 1816.

Codice civile by Napoleone Bonaparte in an italian Edition
Photo:  Archivio di Stato di Milano, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In particular, after the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy, former supporters of Garibaldi turned to guerrilla warfare against the new state. Disappointment at the lack of improvement in living conditions, especially for the rural population of southern Italy, and the extremely cruel actions of the royal soldiers against the rebels led to a sharp increase in the number of brigands in the second half of the 19th century. To this day, many of them enjoy a mythical cult status despite their equally brutal actions.

Neglect and the resulting anarchic, completely opaque conditions certainly contributed to the fact that for a long time rural Puglia did not prosper, poverty remained high and, in the end, little has changed culturally, sociologically or structurally.

The high walls that surround every farm, every citrus orchard and every small village are also evidence of this constant insecurity.  

From today’s perspective, we are pleasantly surprised at how faithfully the old towns, villages and masserie have been preserved, without the terrible disfigurements of modernity that are so prevalent in northern Europe. We should not forget, however, that until not so long ago it was above all poverty that forced people to live in such seemingly archaic conditions.

Michelina de Cesare, 1841-1868, confessed „Brigantessa“
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Economic development since the post-war period

Even before the Second World War, only about 17% of Italy’s industrial workers were employed in the south, and a much higher proportion of industrial plants were destroyed during the war. After the war, the country was still predominantly agricultural, although yields per hectare were significantly lower than in northern Italy. This was due to the large proportion of large landowners who did not live on their land, but only leased it and did not look after it. 

Before 1950, 19% of all municipalities in the Mezzogiorno had no water supply, 40% no sewerage and many no electricity. 24% of the population in the south were illiterate, due to the totally inadequate educational facilities. 

Between 1950 and 1970, sweeping land reforms, structural measures such as irrigation, road and railway construction and financial aid brought about a real upturn, but apart from this period, the gap between northern and southern Italy has widened rather than narrowed since the unification of Italy in 1860. The close links between politics, business and organised crime that came to light from 1992 onwards further paralysed the country.

Peasant women in Puglia 1954
Photo: Touring Club Italiano, Creative Commons
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