Descrizione
The little cupid, symbol of the culture and history of Isola del Piano
It is not an arrow but an ear of wheat that is clasped, ready to be hurled to fertilise the soil, in the right hand of the small statue that catches the eye as one arrives in Isola del Piano.
The work of contemporary artist Pino Mascia, this bronze statue, depicting a typical cherub with a bow and arrows, symbolises the history, culture, way of life and, in particular, the very essence of the village. Indeed, everything about the statue evokes the nature of Isola del Piano: the curly hair, formed from ears of wheat; the sash supporting the quiver, bearing the phrase ‘O thou who savest, who strikest, grant that I may live’ – a wish, a genuine invocation to the earth and its fertility – and the name engraved on the plinth upon which the cherub stands: Graziella Ra.
This is the name of a variety of wheat grown on the lands of Isola del Piano, an ancient wheat of Egyptian origin: the wheat, was in fact discovered during an archaeological excavation in Egypt and arrived in Italy in the late 1970s, thanks to an archaeologist who found it and who asked that, should it take root in Italy, it be named Graziella, in memory of his daughter who was killed during the Second World War.
Ra, on the other hand, is a deity of ancient Egypt, the sun god: by bestowing warmth and light upon the earth, he contributes to the birth and development of plant species on Earth, including wheat. For some years now, the Municipality of Isola del Piano has been awarding a special honour to those who have distinguished themselves in the protection of the environment, culture, biodiversity and sustainability; this award is known as the Idolino Graziella Ra Prize.
