Been Here a Thousand Years Life has always been hard in the
small southern-Italian farming village of Grottole. The
inhabitants give their all to the land, but the land doesn’t
always give back; any gains in productivity or prosperity are
looked upon with suspicion, as everyone knows that happiness and
satisfaction are fleeting. What holds the village together is
its women, and this delightful tale is the story of six
generations of Falcone women. The dynasty begins around 1850,
with Don Francesco Falcone’s lust for a young field worker,
Concetta. Like the other girls in the village, Concetta is
resigned to her fate of hard work, a loveless marriage, and as
many children as her body can bear. What happens, though, is
that she loves the man who seduced her in a shed then refused to
marry her until she bore him a boy. Don Francesco loves her,
too, in his way—and he loves their children—six girls, then,
finally, a boy. Although the family makes a good living off the
land, Don Francesco’s hopes of a large home an