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A New York Artist in Castel di Ieri: The Story of Devin

Please Note: This is an English translation of the article originally published on Virtù Quotidiane on February 24, 2020. This is not my writing and is the work of Valentina Di Cesare. Click here to see the original article.

CASTEL DI IERI - 6,975 are the kilometers that divide Castel di Ieri (L'Aquila) from New York. A small town of two hundred inhabitants on one side, and one of the largest metropolises in the world on the other: two distant, opposite, certainly different worlds.

Yet the life of the artist Devin Cole (now Devin Di Giambattista, after her marriage to Luigi), has managed to keep these two universes in close connection.

"Due to an immune system disease - Devin tells Virtù Quotidiane - a few years ago, when I was still in America, I spent several months in bed and while surfing the internet I discovered Abruzzo, this enchanting region of central Italy, where old houses were available at very affordable prices. Among the many houses seen, I was struck by one that was in Castel di Ieri, a town that I had never heard of before ".

“At the time I was looking for an investment and this seemed perfect. I had always wanted to learn another language and another culture; it was the adventure I was looking for! The day I got out of bed, I bought a ticket to Italy and arrived in Castel di Ieri at the end of the summer ".

Once she arrived, Devin was enchanted by the landscape which, seen in person, was even more beautiful than she had imagined through the photos. She didn't know anyone in town but she liked the place and bought the house.

She still didn't know if she would spend long periods there or if she wanted to go there only for the holidays, she needed to try to understand what everyday life was like in this small town. It was then that she met Luigi, a local boy, who some time later, became her husband.

Devin chooses to remain permanently in Abruzzo, and it is here in Castel di Ieri that his first book, Halo, was born, self-published by the artist and released on November 22, 2019 (https://www.facebook.com/digichivetta/).

Devin was just over ten years old when she sketched this story for the first time but one day, by chance, rereading a few pages, she realized that with some adjustments she could publish it.

"I studied fashion at Pratt Institute - Devin continues - but I was very young when I chose my way, and after my studies, I worked for fashion designers, also as a journalist for Fashion Week in New York. It was fun but tiring and I was paid too little for such an expensive city. Then, I became a freelance designer, I designed knitted clothing. I made samples for books and magazines like Vogue Knitting but after discovering my illness I gave up everything”.

Just after marrying Luigi and moving permanently to Italy, the treatments [for her chronic illnesses] exhausted Devin and forced her to change therapy and spend a lot of time at home, this time in Castel di Ieri.

“In this period of isolation - reveals Devin - my artistic page Digi Chivetta was born, starting right from the book I was making. The plot of the story is somewhat reminiscent of fables: the protagonist is a boy who dies during a fire and after his death, arrives in a land of candy. The reader idyllically accompanies him and follows his adventures while the young man passes the tests necessary to get to the afterlife. Although it is a spiritual story, it does not have a religious, but symbolic intent. It is a story for children and it is dedicated to them, I believe that adults often underestimate their wisdom and I think they are wrong. We must learn from them and encourage them to express themselves. As for me, especially in moments of worry and physical pain, drawing and writing were the only two things I could do and they kept me afloat, art saved me, distracted me from the illness I had. Now, I finally understand that I will dedicate my life to these passions of mine, even if I know that talent is not enough. They taught us so at university and I experienced it after graduation. Our society does not give importance to artistic creation, you have to fight to make your voice heard ".

Devin has finally chosen to follow her artistic path without any uncertainty and already has new ideas in the works: in this period, she is writing two novels, Dream Hackers and Carnivale City, one for adults and the other for teenagers.

There is not only writing, however: Devin also intends to return to her passion for fashion and knitted clothes, perhaps by creating an atelier. Clear ideas, tenacity, talent, and creativity mean that nothing can stop her artistic career.

“Many people ask me how I can live in Castel di Ieri after living in New York - concludes Devin - and I don't know exactly what to say because I am a very flexible person and changing my environment does not bother me much. Castel di Ieri and New York are two different places but also similar in a certain sense. Here, nature is always in motion and sometimes reminds me of the movement of the city. Every time I go back to New York all the neighborhoods have changed. Closed businesses leave room for new ones, they are like almond tree flowers that come out one day, and two weeks later, they fall. I can't say which place is better between New York or Castel di Ieri, it depends on the perspective and lifestyle that a person wants to have. I enjoyed my time in New York very much and continue to enjoy it when I go back, but now I have other needs. It's like wearing shoes that are too small or too large. Castel di Ieri is now the right size for my life ”.

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