Giancarlo Cherubini
“Growing up in the mezzadria was fun ”

Giancarlo Cherubini is counsellor of culture in Torrita di Siena anno 2004. He was born in 1955 on Arnaiolo, a farm in Torrita in times of the mezzadria or leasehold system.

“It was one of the most fun experiences of my life”, he says. “People often think that the mezzadria was a time of misery and poverty. For me, it wasn't at all like that. I went to school in the morning, and in the afternoon I worked until five o'clock on the farm. I fed the animals, worked on the land and harvested. I really enjoyed doing all of that.”

Giancarlo is an only child, which is exceptional for that time. In the mezzadria, a big family was a necessity. The more children you had, the more land you got as a family. And the children were a big help on the land.

“My grandfather had four sons and one daughter. This brought on a lot of problems as with Dante, my uncle. He was a law minded rebel and after the Second World War, he fled to Buenos Aires. Three years before his death Dante returned to Torrita to search for his family and to die there in peace.”

“My grandfather wanted his children to have only one child. He feared that too big a family would bring on too many feuds and that the family would fall apart. My parents didn't mind only having one child. They were more free and could save more money.“

In 1965, the whole family moved to a farm of their own. The uncles of Giancarlo didn't want a boss, even though they had a friendly relation with the padrone , the farmer. “I wanted to stay on Arnaiolo,” tells Giancarlo, “because after that move, my family fell completely apart. A few of my relatives moved to Torino. My grandfather has suffered enormously and has never recovered from this.”

Capitalism
The official end of the mezzadria in 1979 didn't affect the family that much, because they've owned their own farm since 1965. “Economically there wasn't so much difference for the Italians after the switch from mezzadria to capitalism. I think hiring is comparable. To live in a house, you also give away some of your income. In the past, you used farming products, now you use money.”

Giancarlo went to Siena to study art history and then returned with his family to live on the farm. He lives there now with his mother, wife and two daughters. “I know that it is unusual to have more than one child in these times. But I always regretted not having a brother or sister. I love the activity around me, and I wouldn't want my children to feel lonely.”

More about mezzadria:
Region: Agriculture in Tuscany

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- This site was realised thanks to the co-operation between the town council and the inhabitants of Torrita di Siena and ten graduated students 2004 from the “Katholieke Hogeschool Mechelen”, Belgium, department communication science, campus De Ham. - © Torrita di Siena