“In Perpetuo”: the director talks about the Gargano trabucchi and the memory of time

“ What remains of ancient knowledge when it risks disappearing? ” is the question that gave shape to In Perpetuo , the documentary directed by Federico Barassi that was appreciated last November at the Festival dei Popoli and screened on June 6 at the Cinema Farnese in Rome, on June 10 in Turin and on June 16 in Bari. It is a poetic and profound journey among the trabucchi of Gargano , centuries-old fishing machines suspended between sea and sky, memory and matter.

The origins of the trabucchi

According to some historical sources, this extraordinary fishing machine could have been introduced to Gargano by the Phoenicians, although the first documented attestation dates back to the 18th century. In that period, the fishermen of the area were forced to find a stable and reliable fishing method, capable of resisting time and the sea.

This is how the trabucchi were born: ingenious architectures entirely made of wood - Aleppo pine, oak, cervus, chestnut - built overlooking the sea and firmly anchored to the coastal rocks. Each element is sculpted and fixed with extreme precision, in a millenary dance between nature and technique. Like stilt houses suspended between sky and water, the poles are fitted into cavities dug into the rock, supporting a platform on which the entire fishing activity takes place.

Interview with director Federico Barassi

In this interview, the young director of the documentary In Perpetuo tells us about the genesis of the project, the personal bond that guided him, and the intense relationship built with the “ guardians of time ”: the trabucchisti. A story that is also a reflection on the passing of time, on the roots that resist, and on the urgency of stopping to listen to what nature and tradition still have to tell us.

Where did the idea of ​​telling the story of the Gargano trabucchi come from? Was there a specific moment that pushed you to start this project?

The idea for In Perpetuo was born around 2017, when I began research on some traditional and ancient professions inextricably linked to natural elements that were at risk of disappearing. The first script included several professions put together in a single feature film, and within these ancient professions there was also the reality of the Gargano trabucchi. In the same year my father Paolo passed away and the research naturally focused on the trabucchi that somehow reminded me of him because they encompass his two greatest passions: working with wood and fishing . Later, by further deepening the research, I realized that by focusing only on the reality of the Gargano trabucchi I could strengthen the message I initially had in mind, that is: what remains of an experience - in this case centuries - when it disappears, what traces remain in memory and in society.

Gargano is often narrated in a touristic key. In Perpetuo , instead, it reveals an intimate, almost hidden side. Was this your intention from the beginning?

Yes, I chose to shoot in the winter, autumn and spring months for this very reason. In these seasons tourism is rare and life flows more slowly. My intention from the beginning was to enclose in images, in pictures of everyday life, that strong bond that since the dawn of time has united man to nature and that today we are slowly losing.

How did you select specific locations in Gargano — like Vieste and Peschici — to include in the film? Were there any symbolic locations that couldn’t be left out?

Vieste and Peschici are the places where we can still see these complicated machines in operation and find the last custodians of this tradition. In this small stretch of coast are concentrated the majority of the fishing and non-abandoned trabucchi of Gargano , so the choice was dictated by the need to see the trabucchi in operation and the trabucchisti intent on fishing as it was done centuries and centuries ago.

How much time did you spend on the field, between Peschici and Vieste, and what was the relationship with the documentary's protagonists like?

Filming began in 2022 and in total we did two weeks of filming in alternating sessions plus the location scouting. The relationship with them was very engaging. To make this type of documentary one of the most important things is to have the trust of the protagonists you want to film, and so I tried to spend as much time as possible with them, chatting, fishing, eating fish. I tried to empathize with their daily lives to give the viewer back the way of understanding and perceiving life on the trabucco in the most real and authentic way possible.

The light, the wind, the sound of the sea… in the documentary everything comes together to evoke the soul of the place. What role did Gargano have in your visual and sound direction?

Gargano is an ancient, almost mystical territory. There are traces of primitive populations, from the Bronze Age and Roman times. You can find an extraordinary stratification of eras and you perceive this when you are there. I tried to evoke these distant pasts. The soundtrack, which is minimal in the documentary, wants to be almost like an ancestral voice that resonates from the horizon of the sea and calls us, reminding us who we were, who we are and who we will be. One of the choices I made right from the start was to limit the filming only to the areas of the trabucchi because I wanted this machine to become the stage where everything happened, as well as the linchpin of the narration. I chose to always position the camera on the tripod with fixed shots, to evoke the solidity of the trabucco that resists the whims of nature, anchored to those rocks for centuries.

The trabucco is a silent but central protagonist of your documentary. What fascinated you most about its history and meaning?

I wanted the trabucco to become a character, perhaps the main character of In Perpetuo, almost a living organism and therefore in need of care. Everything revolves around this machine that in the documentary – together with the elements that compose it – is the only human artifact that we can see. Then I immediately saw it as a work of art and the trabucchisti as the artists who create it. What fascinated me most was how the people of Vieste and Peschici understand the trabucco. Since they were children they have always seen it there, perpendicular to the sea, anchored to those rocks. In fact, those who live in these areas say that you can't say you're in Vieste or Peschici if you don't see a trabucco in the distance. It's a symbol that reassures them and makes them feel at home.

In the film the trabucco clearly emerges as a symbol of ancient knowledge. How difficult was it to reconstruct its origins and its role in the Gargano culture?

The trabucchisti, passing down their knowledge from generation to generation and living the trabucco forever, have it inside, in their guts. It was not difficult to reconstruct its origins because they guided me by enveloping me in their world and their stories. I became a witness of what was happening before my eyes, putting myself in the position of the student who tries to learn from the master.

During filming, did you discover any unexpected details or anecdotes about the history of the trabucchi that particularly struck you?

What struck me most was the wisdom and difficulty of the construction. For example, how they used an iron pole to dig holes in the hard rocks to fix the support logs, and how they decided the positions where to make these holes. Truly hard work and impressive calculation. I was struck by stories of abundant catches, quintals of fish that today are increasingly rare due to industrial fishing, pollution and the presence of alien species such as the blue crab that make fishing with the trabucco increasingly difficult.

In your story the trabucco seems to live, to breathe with those who inhabit it. You chose to give it an almost implicit narrative voice. Was it a conscious choice?

The trabucco in In Perpetuo is a character in the story. Its voice is the sounds it emits: the creaking of the wood, the vibrations of the taut iron cables that emit an almost musical sound and the noises of the ropes that lift the large net. I tried to give it a life and make it breathe together with the protagonists.

In the documentary there is a deep connection between man, nature and time. How did you work to visually translate this poetic and almost suspended dimension?

Certainly recording the sounds of nature using stereo microphones, this helped to amplify the feeling of immersion in the natural elements, and then working on the editing over time, dilating and subtracting.

You talked about the risk of memory loss related to this ancient craft. What do you think the public can learn today from the master trabucchisti?

I think our past can teach us a lot about our present. Our society is a stratification of inheritances that accumulate knowledge to evolve them. In this sense, trabucchisti can help the contemporary viewer, accustomed to frenetic rhythms and fragmented information, to stop and reflect on a simple, concrete life, made of waiting and contemplation. I think that especially nowadays we need it more and more.

What was the reaction of the trabucchisti after seeing the finished film? Did they give you any particular feedback that struck you?

They were happy, they told me that I managed to capture the authenticity of life on the trabucco.

The film has been selected by prestigious festivals, such as CinemAmbiente in Turin and Festival dei Popoli and will be screened starting from June 6th in various areas of Italy. What do these awards mean to you and what do you expect from this work in the future?

I am happy with these selections, it was the first time I presented my work at a film festival and I must say it was a great experience. I hope that the long journey of In Perpetuo continues towards the right path.