For decades, the people living in the valley of Vanói (such as those living in Primiero) were forced out of necessity to leave their home, searching for work. These peripheral lands suffered, perhaps more than others, of mass emigration from the late 1800s, mainly to Latin America and the United States of America.
In the same period, and with the same motivations as their fellow villagers who were leaving for America, many went to the nearby Valley of Adige for seasonal work. Aldo Zorzi writes that, at the end of September (once the haymaking works were completed), many young people, between 15 and 25 years old, used to go to the Adige Valley to harvest.
For the inhabitants of Caoria, reaching the Valley of Adige required walking through the mountain gap of Passo Sàdole in order to reach the village of Ziano, from where many young people from the Valley of Fiemme joined their journey in a tiring two-day itinerary.
The way for these seasonal workers to get back home in the Valley of Vanoi typically took place in late October / early November and, with the Winter season approaching, the path through Passo Sàdole could become rather risky.
On 12 November 1927, a young woman from Caoria, Anastasia Sperandio – aged 21 -, finished her seasonal work in the Valley of Adige. She was stopped overnight in Ziano by Vanzetta’s family. On Sunday 13 November, despite the rain, Anastasia left Ziano heading towards Passo Sàdole, perhaps also because she had agreed with her brother Antonio to meet her. The fate, however, was against her, causing Anastasia to find a snowstorm at high altitude. The young woman died of frostbite at an altitude of 1800 meters and her body was found only a week later under 60 centimeters of snow.
In memory of the young Anastasia, a cross was placed at the Maseròi, at the bottom of the peak of Monte Cauriòl, adding one more cross to the thousands of crosses that the Great War left in these places, which still make us ponder over the suffering and fragility of the existence.
