Blog Post Three

The Book of Wanderings of Felix Fabri: Valscian/Spitelli 

Felix Fabri’s beliefs about Germans and Italians become more complex as he descends from the mountainous region of the Alps into the fertile valleys of Northern Italy. After leaving Trent, where these biases first became apparent, Fabri stops in Valscian for a short but significant stop before spending the night in Spitelli. Fabri’s experience of this region shows his growing bias against Italians through the way he describes religious practices, landscape, and linguistic differences.

Fabri’s separation between Germanic and Italian cultures first reappears in his examination of the naming of “Valscian.” He introduces the city in its native “vulgar tongue,” Italian (Fabri ch.1). He then describes it through the Germanic name – “Valscian in der berg” imposing a clear superiority on the Germanic language (Fabri ch.1). He is increasingly interested in language and the naming of things in this region. He remarks on the crossover between these two societies through language: “now this town and consequently the whole of this region is of the Italian language; however almost all the inhabitants know both languages, German and Italian” and views the duality as positive because of the German influence (Fabri ch.1). Felix Fabri’s linguistic examination is furthered through his evaluation of the landscape. According to Fabri – or his un-named sources – the region is named “the dry valley” because the area used to be filled with basins trending towards the sea (Fabri ch.1). His interest in the environment leads to an observation of the landscape: “all the valleys in these mountains which trend towards the sea were once full of water, and were channels leading into the Mediterranean Sea, even as now happens in lands close to the sea” an anecdote which anticipates his trip across the Mediterranean near the end of The Wanderings (Fabri ch.1). Fabri defines this region by its landscape and by its name creating a relationship between a region’s national identity and its physical environment. 

A little down the road, Fabri spends the night in a small town he calls “Spitelli” which he translates to “Little Hospice” (Fabri ch.1). While he does not remark on the physical or natural character of this town, he has strong opinions on the practice of faith. This is new in the narrative, while Fabri has consistently attended mass in each town he passes through, he has yet to take a negative stance on the practice of faith. Fabri attended the only chapel in the village – one without a priest, and could not successfully take holy communion. The church was underprepared or not practicing “correctly” in Fabri’s eyes because “there was no bread or wafer in the pyx in the ambry, nor was there any in all the village, so I turned myself round to the people and told them that the Host was lacking” (Fabri ch.1). He attempted to save the service by preaching himself – in his native German tongue – just to be received by the Italians with “wonderment and surprise” because they had never heard a sermon in his language (Fabri ch.1). Fabri names this service and the experience as a whole “torrid, crude, dry, empty” Mass and quickly leaves the town.

Fabri’s observations in the valleys of Northern Italy further illuminate his inherent reservations against Italians and their practice of religion and culture. He focuses on language as a primary force of difference and emphasises the importance of communication in his experiences in this area. His negative religious experience shows a new perspective for Fabri because he has been previously excited to practice in each of his stops. It will be interesting to see how his biases appear as Felix Fabri ventures farther and farther away from his home culture and religious community.