The Fortress of Solitude is the place deep in the Arctic where Superman takes refuge when he needs it, when he has to deal with the past, when he has to recharge, when he needs time for himself, despite being Superman.
I think that each of us must have his own fortress of solitude, that place carved in the heart where we take refuge, even if only with the mind, to recharge, to rediscover ourselves.
My Fortress of Solitude is called Rocca di Cambio, a village in the Abruzzo Apennines, located at 1434 meters, a childhood place, in the summer you spend playing soccer, walking in the mountains and in winter playing with the snow. I can still hear the smell of the burning fireplace, the wood-burning stove that mumbles, grandmother putting the water to heat for the hot soup, the sound of the pots that, like cowbells, rang every time the cupboard door was opened, creating a strange melody together with the creaking of the hinges.
My Fortress of Solitude are the places that I retrace every time I go there, it is enough for me to arrive and pass the main square to breathe memories, to feel at home, even if in fact I have never lived there, but the time spent here makes sure that it is a place of the heart, a place that I carry inside and that I will continue to carry, despite everything, despite the fact that the memories are not all happy, despite the fact that there is no longer the stove that mumbles or the fireplace that lights up, despite the fact that there is no longer grandmother who puts on the water.
Rocca di Cambio will always be my Fortress of Solitude.
Rocca di Cambio will always be my Fortress of Solitude.
