|
A LOST NATURAL
WONDER
Whenever I can return
to my beloved Capistrano, after seeing friends and family, I faithfully go
to visit a place outside of town where my heart sinks into deep sadness. Up to thirty or so years ago, as
one approached Capistrano from the town of San Nicola, one could stop
and look down the deep valley and see one of the most beautiful locations in Calabria.
From that location one could admire gigantic cliffs made of sand that had been under the sea for millions of years.
Most of all, they had been carved by time into a stunning natural
wonder -- almost as if the Almighty Himself had stopped to show His great
skills.
That place is no more. A company has been given the right to carve as much
sand out of the area as possible and the result has been catastrophic. The
unforgettable wonder I used to go and stare at has vanished
and what is left is nothing but a formless, yellow scar.
This page is my attempt to keep alive the memory of this location, to share its amazing beauty that is no more
and to make us all consider what happens to our environment when financial
gain supercedes the respect we owe to our environment.
Mike Caputo
This is the
magical scene you saw thirty or more years ago.
It looked
like a scene from Arizona
Or
Yosemite, in California.
The cliffs
were tall and proud.
.
Climbing up
the steep sandy slopes was exhilarating.
| |
This
picture was taken from less than half way up the slope. Look closely
at the base of the slope and you'll see a man.
Imagine the size of the boulder.
|
|
These
cliffs were chiseled by the wind and the rain for thousands of years.
It was an unforgettable
scene.
The place
was picture-perfect.
It looked,
in places, like scenes from pre-history.
...or like a world of
mystery.
The scar is
so large, one can see it vividly from space with "Google Earth."
See below.
Let's learn for the past...
Let's protect our planet!
HOME |
