He always had a joke ready, a smile on his face. Then, a disarming clarity, despite his 108th birthday last May 30th. Indeed, three years ago she defeated Covid, that virus that had weakened her but had not affected her strength. On Friday afternoon Orgosolo said goodbye to aunt Michela Battasi for the last time, in a crowded church of San Pietro. She passed away like this, almost quietly, between the love of her children and the boundless affection of her country, although television appearances were at home in her existence. «She was a unique woman, a treasure for everyone», the words of the parish priest Salvatore Goddi.
Wisdom
Tzia Michela Battasi was a symbol of the country of murals. It's impossible not to be enchanted by the stories of that easy-talking woman. International TV channels have often made special trips to Orgosolo to archive his anecdotes, to safeguard and convey his secrets of longevity. «He had incredible clarity, he remembered everything», underlines Don Goddi. «He was able to make any connection, he reconstructed relationships. He was striking above all for his wisdom." The priest reveals a detail that captures and is linked to that episode that shook the Orgolese community more than any other: the crime of Antonia Mesina, on 17 May 1935. «In that period Aunt Michela Battasi was 19 years old, three years older of the Blessed. So, he remembered that episode very well, after Antonia Mesina. That is, that fear that had been created in the town after that unfortunate event, the difficulties that the population could experience. She was Antonia Mesina's neighbor. It was an important point of reference for this too."
Steel temper
Born in 1916, four children, 14 grandchildren, Michela Battasi had an intense life, not without suffering. In fact, she had become a widow in the 1940s, when her children were still young. Then, in April 2021 he also had to face Covid. Yes, that virus that made her suffer but which she managed to defeat in her home, surrounded by the love of her grandchildren. «My life has been painful - he repeated in those moments - and yet I faced everything without ever letting go. This illness exhausted me, I had a cough, fever and I wasn't breathing well, then the doctors came and gave me treatment and brought oxygen. And they made me heal." Ironic and with an innate curiosity, fueled by the newspapers she read continuously. A year ago Aunt Michela was awarded by Poste Italiane, complete with a parchment: «We pay our respects to her and thank her for the esteem and trust shown towards the company over the years». Meanwhile, in Orgosolo the emotion spreads. The interview given in 2023 to the Rai program "Il provinciale" bounces on social media: «As a child we were poor - her words on video - but we never lacked the necessary. We walked with short steps and with our heads held high."
