LESSONS IN STAMINA AND FREEDOM
– by Kaaron Carver May 21, 2004
Recently the story of 5 year old Ruby Bustamante’s 8 day vigil trapped in an overturned vehicle next to her deceased mother touched our hearts. It was especially touching to Arturo Ibleto, more publicly known as the “Pasta King.”
“Only now can I tell my story”, Art related one April afternoon at his Cotati ranch. “Before this (news event) noone would have believed me.” That story involved being buried in a hole for eight days without food or water, and no ability to sit or stand.
You see, Arturo Ibleto, native son of Sesta Godano, Liguria Province, Italy, was a World War II “Freedom Fighter”. He joined the “Anti-Fascist Partisans”, armed with supplies parachuted to them by British Special Operations units. Their goal was to slow the Fascists and Nazis down as much as possible and pull troops away from enemy lines. And when the Germans came to his village, the only way out was underground. Little did he know that they’d set up camp, within eye and earshot of his cave, for over a week.
“The first two days you might get hungry, but after that you kind of – are in limbo…(perhaps delirium)…seems like you don’t care much of what’s happening, you’re not hungry…you kind of give up.”
The only way this 17 year old knew the time was by the quarter-hour toll of the church bell. He distinguished day from night when he heard the “peephole”, an English spotter plane, making its nightly checks. Allies insisted that all residents cover every window – no light was allowed – so if the spotter saw anything, that meant trouble.
Art’s
hiding place was a hole he dug himself with a pickaxe (a skill he learned from mining
and digging pits for Allied explosive devices set to demolish railroad tunnels
and bridges.) He then covered his pit
with a board, dirt, grass and leaves.
Apparently this tactic has been used since the ancient Etruscans
defended against Roman invasion. Some
mountains are so riddled with tunnels and caves that heavy motor traffic is now
forbidden.
Many tunnels were large, with entrance and exit doors and even bunk beds. Art had no such luxury – he was stuck in his hole until the Nazis left. By 1944, Nazis were no longer friendly with most Italians. Invaders generally shot on sight, so Art stayed put. Germans practiced what was called “Rostelamento” or “raking the mountain”. They attacked from all sides, with roadblocks and “no chance to get out.”
Arturo Ibleto (standing), 17,
serves as a “Partisan” – here they are getting ready to blow up a bridge.
He often carried bombs around his waist, always saving one in case of
capture – it was a better fate than Nazi torture.
At the end of
eight days the Germans moved on, and
Once the Nazis moved on, Arturo tried to leave, but was too weak to walk. After many starts and stops on his “spaghetti” legs, he managed to stagger to food, water and recovery.
He left after the war to find work in Northern California – he had heard of this beautiful respite and saw it as a new start, free from so many bad memories. His sister still lives in the Ligurian family home, but Arturo intends to remain in Cotati.
There is much more to tell about this Freedom Fighter and how his past led him to a new future in Sonoma County. But for now, his own words say it best. A recent Bohemian journalist wrote, “Looking out at the vineyards, a love of his land and life dances in Ibleto’s eyes. ‘That’s why I enjoy it so much here, and I tell people they don’t know how lucky they are. Freedom, I think, is the most important thing in life. This is a country that if you like to work, there’s plenty of work, and you can go any place you’d like to go’.”
Art is one who never plans to retire, for he loves his work. Having the freedom to choose has kept him young and vibrant, and his food, from sumptuous spaghetti to pungent pesto reflect that love of life. He even grows merlot and pinot noir grapes on his farm, “Sonoma Bella”. “On a nice day or clear evening, we see the world. This is why we call it Sonoma Bella because I think, ‘Look at what you see.’”
Food that is prepared with a passion for history, heritage and freedom is more than spaghetti; it is “la pasta bella libertada”.
Scenes
from “Bella Sonoma” vineyards, across