Easter Week Processions in Ragusa Ibla, Sicily

Many towns in Sicily celebrate Easter with rituals that are a rich blend of faith, folklore, tradition and community. We wanted to experience some of the Easter processions and chose to stay in the town of Ragusa Ibla (one of the UNESCO listed Baroque towns in south-eastern Sicily) for Holy Week this month.

On Palm Sunday (Domenica delle Palme) we saw worshipers carrying palm fronds and olive branches as they returned from church. During the first procession that evening, the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows was carried through the town to the church of Santa Maria dell’Itria.

Santa Maria Addolorata

 

The striking blue dome of Santa Maria dell'Itria

The image of Jesus crowned with thorns was transported on Holy Monday (Lunedì Santo) between two rows of devotees, each holding votive candles and accompanied by the sound of a solemn brass band. The procession proceeded to the Duomo San Giorgio.

Duomo San Giorgio, Ragusa Ibla

We missed the other procession that left from Chiesa di San Giacomo on Monday evening - Christ in the Garden of Olives. I found this short clip of it:



On Holy Tuesday (Martedì Santo), the procession with the statue of Veronica left from the Church of Purgatory. Led by hundreds of the faithful, they wove their way through narrow streets and wide piazzas until they finally arrived at the Cathedral.

Chiesa del Purgatorio, Ragusa Ibla

The Veil of Veronica

Two statues were carried to the Duomo San Giorgio on Good Friday (Venerdì Santo) one of Christ in a glass casket followed by Our Lady of Sorrows (La Madre Addolorata). The entire community is involved in these important religious events. I admire the emotional and spiritual connection that the local people have with these ceremonies and the way in which the men help one another to skilfully carry and manoeuvre the large, heavy statues up and down the steep steps.

I love the fact that the citizens of Ragusa Ibla continue to keep all its medieval traditions and festivals alive. What is really amazing about these events is that they are not done for the benefit of tourists or visitors; they are done because they have always been done. For us it was a great pleasure to witness them and get a glimpse into the past. Anyone with any historical or cultural interest in Italy, should have this experience, we cannot recommend it highly enough.

Epiphany in Stresa

This time last year I was in Stresa, Lake Maggiore with my family looking forward to the Procession of the Three Kings to be held on January 6th. My friend Tatiana of Italian Slow Walks asked me if I would write a guest post on her blog about my experience. You can read all about it at this link:

http://santatatiana.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/procession-of-the-re-magi-the-three-wise-kings/

Here are some photos from the day, most of which were kindly taken by our friend Giuseppe:


Variety of traditional winter foods in Piazza Cadorna

Amy warming her hands on the beautiful lit log

Shepherds with goats and sheep on the way to the procession

Our costumes

I Tre Re Magi

Preparations in Palazzo dei Congressi

The three of us joining the procession



The Three Kings in Piazza Cadorna



A sweet little angel

Court of King Herod
Villa Ducale Stresa

Chimney sweeps (spazzacamini) on the left



The live presepe with the main participants

   Previously I’ve written another guest post about a day in Stresa at the Rocca Angera on my friend Dana’s blog Stresa Sights. In case you missed it you can read about it here:

http://stresasights.blogspot.com/2010/04/la-rocca-angera.html

Italian Christmas Cookies - Cenci alla Fiorentina

This December, Stephanie (my son’s girlfriend) and I made delicious Italian Christmas cookies called Cenci alla Fiorentina or as she also calls them - ‘Ewonds’. She is American and has Italian ancestors and here is her Grandma’s recipe. Thanks to Stephanie’s Mom for writing it down!

Preparation time: 1 hr +
Frying time between 1 - 2 minutes per batch
Deep Fryer Temp: 350 Degrees F (180 C).

Ingredients:

• 4 cups good quality all-purpose flour (Grandma and Stephanie’s Mom use ‘Gold Medal’ – we used Odlums)
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (Her mother recommends Wesson)
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Vegetable oil for frying (Wesson)
• ¾ cup of confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar) for sprinkling

To make the pastry:

In a deep bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and mix it up thoroughly. Next make a well in the middle bringing the flour up the sides of the bowl. Then add the eggs, oil and vanilla extract.

With your hands, mix the flour down into the middle. The entire kneading process will take at least a good 15 minutes or so. Once the mixture is combined, dump it out on the table and continue kneading the dough until it is completely smooth and elastic. When you press your finger in the dough, it should spring back. Place it back in the bowl, cover with a towel and let it rest for approximately 20 minutes.

Break the dough into small balls. Do not add flour to the table before rolling it out. There is enough oil in the mixture to keep it from sticking. (Stephanie mentioned that it actually felt like a good hand moisturizer!)

Then begin to roll out the dough with a normal rolling pin or an Italian one – a mattarello. (When it was about 1/8” thick, Stephanie switched to a double-ended pastry roller to speed up the process.) She brought this one back from America. I had never seen one like this before in Ireland.

At this stage, you could use a manual pasta machine if you have one, to get the pastry dough paper thin. The pastry has to be almost transparent; you need to be able to see the table or countertop through it.

Next, cut it into diamond shapes with a wavy pastry cutter - each side should be approx 3” long. Then cut two straight slits into the middle of each shape.

Carefully lift up a piece at a time, pull up the centre, take one corner and push it through the loop creating a bow. Place all the bows on a cookie sheet before you begin frying. When the sheet is filled, cover with a towel to keep them from drying out.

Frying the cookies:

Once all the dough is rolled, cut and tied, heat a deep pan with about 3-4 inches of vegetable oil until very hot. When the frying begins turn down the oil so that it does not burn. Cook about 6 cookies at a time, 1-2 minutes for each batch and take them out of the oil with a slotted spoon. Place on a paper towel to drain, then immediately sprinkle with some icing sugar because you want the sugar to stick.

As they cook, place them in a large container lined with wax paper. As you complete a layer, sprinkle the confectioner’s sugar over the cookies. Repeat the cooking, sprinkling and layering until all the ‘ewonds’ are done. They taste light and crispy and not too sweet.

 Cenci alla Fiorentina are also associated with the Epiphany and Carnevale and they are a lot of fun to make. They are very similar to 'Chiacchiere' and go very well with a chocolate dipping sauce. See MariaGiovanna's wonderful new blog Sharing My Italy for her recipe. 

 Do you recognize this recipe and what do you call these cookies?
Buon Natale!

Trabocco Punta Torre, Abruzzo Coast

The traditional fishing huts that are dotted along Abruzzo’s coastline have intrigued me since I first saw them  in Francavilla al Mare in 1994. They are called Trabocchi (pronounced tra’bok-key) and last year Bodach of About Abruzzo had great close up pictures of them in his fascinating post Lunch on a Trabocco. I was thrilled that Daniele included a visit to one on his itinerary so that I could see one up close with my own eyes. This August we went to see Trabocco Punta Torre with him, just south of San Vito Chietino.

From the gravel path that leads to the trabocco, we crossed the wooden footbridge with sides made of rope. The trabocco is positioned where the sea has a suitable depth (of at least 6m) and is in the shelter of rocky peaks. A friendly local was here on vacation with his family and he took the time to show us around and answer our questions. This is typical of the warmth of the Abruzzese people.

How does a trabocco work?

Fishermen lower the huge meshed nets to the seabed from a platform at the back, then crank them up when full of fish by an intricate system of pulleys and winches.
                           

There is a large pole in the middle of the platform with a bar going through the centre horizontally. The fisherman pushes on this as he walks around in circles to raise or lower the large nets which are supported by four long arms of wood. He kindly showed Amy the fishing nets and pleased her by saying that he threw back any small fish that got caught.

What does a trabocco look like?
To me it looks like a tree house on stilts, joined to the shore by a long wooden bridge. The famous Italian writer Gabriele D’Annunzio describes one as:

‘A strange fishing machine all made of boards and beams, like a giant spider.’

There was a small kitchen inside the hut with a gas burner, table and sink. He pointed out that the rope hammock was not part of the original trabocco (but it blended in very well). He had even slept there for a couple of nights, but said that sometimes the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks kept him awake.

Some are completely original; others are skillfully reconstructed and made stronger to withstand the Mistral wind. They need regular maintenance and are made from locally sourced acacia wood and Aleppo pine as they are water and salt resistant.

How old are the trabocchi?
They are on average more than 200 years old and originally were used purely as a unique method of fishing from the land instead of using a boat. The trabocchi are a distinctive architectural element and have become a symbol of the history and culture of Abruzzo. The Trabocco Punta Torre was built by Domenico Verì in 1873 and is still owned by the Verì family.

Where can you find the trabocchi?

They stretch from the sandy beaches of Francavilla al Mare right down to the vineyards and olive groves of San Salvo, a coastline of incomparable beauty embellished by these structures. Along the old railway line there is a lovely bike path La Via Verde which follows the coast and would be a nice way to spend a day admiring these unique fishing machines as you cycle along Chieti province coastal cycle path.

Trabocchi Coast Fish Restaurants


How many trabocchi are still in use?
Numbers differ depending on which site you read, but according to some accounts there are about 28 trabocchi still in operation along The Trabocchi Coast. Most are private property; some open only for events such as the Cala Lenta.  Fifty years ago there were 65 of them. Then they began to disappear one by one and risked extinction. In 1997 a new law was made in Abruzzo to finance their revival and there was a renewed focus on eco-tourism and since then the trabocco has become a symbol of protection and a tourist attraction. Some of the trabocchi on the north pier of Pescara have been gradually stranded - they are no longer over the water but are surrounded by sand.

Which of the trabocchi are used as fish restaurants?

After a little research I found that at least seven of the trabocchi are used as fish restaurants:

1. Valle Grotte - San Vito Chietino

2. Punta Isolata - Punta Aderci
3. Pesce Palombo - Fossacesia Marina
4. Punta Rocciosa - Fossacesia
5. Punta Cavalluccio - Rocca San Giovanni
6. Punta Punciosa - Rocca San Giovanni
7. Punta Penna - Vasto Marina

They usually serve evening meals. (Click on the links to find out more information about them and how to get there. Some of the sites are in Italian - just press the google translate button at the top of the page.)

In recent years the owners of these ones have begun serving local fish dishes from June through September (dinner is a fixed price of €50 per person - reservations required).  There are many starters and the main course comes with homemade pasta. You can eat traditional delicacies such as octopus, anchovies, calamari, fish stew (brodetto), stuffed mussels and squid, shrimp  and prawns, seafood and fried fish of all kinds. Water, wine, coffee and dessert are also included in this price.

Next year I plan to return and have the experience of dining in one of these unique restaurants suspended over the Adriatic. The Trabocco Pesce Palombo looks like the perfect place for dinner by candlelight with a difference...




Daniele also brought us to Punta Penna Nature Reserve and the Abbey of San Giovanni di Venere on this day; read about our Journey to San Giovanni in Venere. See more of his great itineraries on his website:  http://www.abruzzowithyou.com/

Spellbinding Santo Stefano di Sessanio

Piazzetta, Santo Stefano di Sessanio

Leaving the Rocca Calascio we continued on towards Santo Stefano di Sessanio in the heart of Abruzzo. Ever since watching the movie ‘The American’ starring George Clooney, I’ve wanted to visit this scenic 16th century hill village. It looked absolutely stunning, just as it did in the film, apart from the sad loss of the tower in the 2009 earthquake. It was picture perfect; around every corner was a different postcard scene. It is no surprise that it has won the award for being one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Abruzzo has many alluring, ancient hill towns rivalling those of Tuscany and Umbria and the region has won 19 ‘Borghi Piu Belli d’Italia’ awards which is more than any other region in all of Italy.

Traditional Crafts

On entering the village I felt as if I was walking into a different era. There were many talented craftspeople displaying their trades.

Weaving the seat of a chair

Lace-making in the piazza

Being less than two hour's drive away from Rome, nowadays the people here depend on tourism as their main source of income. In the past seven years typical aspects of village life were revived when local artisans were encouraged to move in and set up workshops. They help preserve the identity and culture of their region. With its quaint little artisan shops, art galleries, restaurants and cafés tucked into ancient stone buildings, it provides everything you could want.

Artigianato Artistico

In the handloom weaver’s shop local women weave woollen bedspreads, rugs and throws for sale. Others make linen embroidered bed sheets and lace pillowcases. In the tiny food stores you can purchase locally produced salami, mountain cheeses, homemade breads, jars of wild saffron, jams and pots of honey. There is also a potter’s kiln with hand-made ceramics that you won’t find anywhere else.

On the first weekend of September each year is the lentil festival Sagra delle Lenticchie which celebrates their famous brown lentils. Hundreds of people come to enjoy tasting different lentil dishes.

The village

We enjoyed walking through the village enjoying its sounds, smells and beauty and best of all - no traffic, apart from the odd Ape or Vespa.

We meandered around the labyrinth of narrow, charming cobblestone streets, ancient stone houses with flower-filled balconies, steep stairways, arches and tiny piazzas which characterize Santo Stefano di Sessanio.

Porta Lorda

Piazza di Capo Castello

There is a gorgeous view from the top of the village of the charming historic villages of Castelvecchio Calvisio, Barisciano and Carapelle Calvisio that surround the Gran Sasso National Park.

The village faces the Navelli plain. Its historic stone houses with thick walls and small windows huddle up close to one another around the perimeter. The alleys are bridged by picturesque archways.

Porta Medicea and the coat of arms of the Medici family with five balls

I loved the elegant arches on this gorgeous building ‘The Palazzo del Capitano’ with its Renaissance style gallery.

Palazzo del Capitano

Daniele, our guide, brought us through this narrow gap in the wall called ‘La Buscella’; a place where it is said that in medieval times, young lovers met to steal fleeting kisses, not being able to do so publicly.

La Buscella

Francesco Hayez - The Kiss (1859)

Recent restoration

Since 2004, about a quarter of the ancient houses have been restored by entrepreneur Daniel Kihlgren (44). I found a fascinating article about him here.

With the support of architects, historians, the Abruzzo folk museum and the regional tourist board, he succeeded in reviving the village and giving it back its genuine medieval feel. His hotel Sextantio Albergo Diffuso has rooms in various buildings throughout the village. During the reconstruction, local tradesmen remained as faithful as possible to the artistic style of the past.

Sextantio Albergo Diffuso

George and the film crew stayed here during the making of the movie. Rooms have original rustic open fireplaces and pre-war peasant furniture gleaned from local markets and antique stores. I would love to return  for a few days and immerse myself in this mountain village lifestyle.

The Tower

The twisting paths that wind between the houses lead to the spot where the Tower used to stand. Now the metal scaffolding glistening in the sunlight gives hope that the tower will soon return to its former glory.

Restoration has already started and I read that it is due to be completed by 2013. I hope to return to Santo Stefano when this is done and see that magnificent view from the top of the tower. There was so much that we didn’t get to see during our short tour: the restaurants, the art galleries, the attractive church of Madonna del Lago at the edge of the lake - so many reasons to return.

Piazza Medicea

We stopped for an aperitivo in a small piazza before heading off to Ristoro Mucciante for dinner. More about our evening meal in Campo Imperatore in my next post…

If you appreciate nature and are interested in local ways and culture you’ll love Santo Stefano di Sessanio. It gives you a glimpse into the authentic peasant life of a century ago, softened by modern conveniences.

Further reading:

Santo Stefano di Sessanio by abruzzoupndown

Medici memories by Bodach of About Abruzzo

Icons of Beauty - George Clooney and Abruzzo in The American by Sammy of Life in Abruzzo

The town of Appignano di Macerata

The Town Hall in Appignano di Macerata

Whenever we’ve visited Le Marche we’ve always stayed with good friends in the pretty hill town of Appignano di Macerata (see map), in the heart of this picturesque region. It is situated exactly half way between the sea and the mountains, just a 30 minute drive each way. Not to be confused with Appignano del Tronto further south in Ascoli, this medieval town is known nationally for its production of ceramics (produced here for over 500 years) furniture and clothes.

The origins of Appignano date from Roman times. Appignano di Macerata is a charming town, 200m above sea level with a population of about 4,000 and about 10 kilometers from the provincial capital Macerata. The friendly people and the lifestyle here is very similar to what I’ve witnessed in Abruzzo. What I love about Appignano is how the locals:

• go to the bar in the morning for their cappuccino or caffe latte and a pastry
• chat with their friends and neighbours in the street
• break for a two hour lunch during the day and have a family meal around the kitchen table
• spend their evenings outdoors: the women sit outside in the street knitting or crocheting and chatting together and the men congregate in groups and play cards
• the children play outside even when it is dark
• the people call out to one another from across their balconies

These balconies are like little sanctuaries: cozy, romantic and fragrant

  There are many monuments of art and architecture to be seen in Appignano:

John and Stefano outside la Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista

• La Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista (St John the Baptist), built in the 16th century and renovated in the 18th century.

• La Chiesa dell'Addolorata (Our Lady of Sorrows) built for the first time in the Middle Ages and rebuilt in 1746. 
• Il Convento di Forano 1473, known for having hosted, according to tradition, St Francis of Assisi. 
• Villa Tusculano, a villa built in the Napoleonic era under the patronage of Count Leopoldo Armaroli. 
• Villa Forano – Winery. The Cellar is open everyday for winetasting from 8:30 to 12:00 and from 15:00 to 19:00 (except Thursdays and Sundays).

Events in Appignano

Like most towns throughout Italy, Appignano has its own special events that are unique to the area. During the first week of July, for three evenings, a festival called Bellente il Brigante takes place in the town hall square. It is a traditional dinner for about 180 people with typical dishes of the 19th century. More than 70 actors in period costume, extras, musicians and dancers represent the history to the spectators. Around the guests, the actors evoke the habits of Appignano’s inhabitants in 1812, when life was influenced by the contradictions of the Napoleonic state and by the legacy of the papal authority. Among the events of the period that are represented in this festival, there are the stories of the young Appignanese hero Pietro Masi and other characters who actually existed. The spectators are comfortably seated at long tables and enjoy local recipes from the 800s, served in typical bowls handmade by local artisans. The aim is to give tourists the opportunity to experience Appignano’s local traditions, culture, folklore, food and wine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JnqbFUNu3U

If you are interested in attending one of these evenings contact the Pro Loco of Appignano in Piazza Umberto I (Tel. 338 7878472) or send an email to prolocoappignano@alice.it

In mid-October Appignano hosts another gastronomic event called Leguminaria. It is dedicated to legumes (chickpeas, beans, lentils and roveja). Roveja is the dialect name for field pea which is only grown in the Sibillini Mountain National Park in Le Marche. All of the dishes are prepared according to traditional recipes and are served in earthenware bowls specially made for the occasion by Appignano’s master potters. Everyone who attends the meal can take home their bowl as a souvenir of the occasion. Much appreciated by lovers of rural tourism, the town of Appignano di Macerata is ideal for short or long term stay and is devoted to well-being and culture.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDgryWs7rKg

*******************************************
Our friend Stefano kindly gave me local information about the best places to stay in Appignano, the bars, restaurants and pizzerias. Here is what he said about them:

Where to stay in Appignano:

"Osteria dei Segreti: located at the edge of Appignano is a very nice, quiet place in the middle of the countryside. There is a lovely panorama in front of the Sibillini mountains. It has good food with a nice price. They have 6 rooms and 6 small apartments to rent. This what their website says about the local cuisine:

Osteria dei Segreti

Rustic ambience and family oriented for a taste of local flavors, such as: cappellacci (pasta shaped like little hats) with fonduta (melted cheese) and truffles, gnocchi with a traditional meat sauce and ‘cargiù’ with porcini mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, grilled crescia (onion flavoured focaccia) the perfect complement to the delicious salami and pecorino Sibillini.



Villa Verdefiore

 Villa Verdefiore: hotel (agriturismo) and restaurant located on the edge of town with lovely rooms. A very nice place with a huge park all around it. Good for weddings, celebrations and meetings. Good food, price middle/high.

  La Colombaia: A beautiful country house with a Wellness Centre located at the edge of Appignano. Good food, middle/high price. Lovely outdoor swimming pool.



La Colombaia

 Where to Eat:

 - Ristorante Lord Byron, located in the historical main square. They serve home made food, typical of Le Marche; nice place, nice people, nice price!

 - Ristorante Le Grazie, situated not far from the centre. They also serve home made food. It is an old style restaurant for good food and a good price.

 Bars/Cafés in Appignano

 - Bar H, located in the industrial area of Appignano. Young people meet there. Bar H in Italian sounds like "baracca" which means chalet or cabin. In fact it is made of wood like a mountain cabin... in the middle of the industrial area!

 - Bar del Borgo: located in the borgo of Appignano. Middle aged and older people meet there.

 - Bar White Lady: located near Giuseppe's pottery shop Ceramiche fratelli Testa .Young people meet there. In Stefano’s opinion this one is the best bars in town.

 - Bar Giardino dei Tigli: located on the 'monte' of Appignano. We went there to have an ice cream last summer. Most young people meet there during summertime.

There are two pubs in Appignano and you can get a very good takeaway pizza at Pizza E Vai.

 - Dal Tramonto all'Alba Pub: nice place located in an old Italian cinema's room. The son of Giuseppe the potter, Mauro Testa, designed the interior. On Saturday and Sunday evenings families go there to have pizza for dinner because they serve great pizza. Sometimes they play live music.

 - La Cantina del Porto: located in the borgo. Nice place with good music, sometimes they play live music here also. There is an old story concerning Appignano when many years ago in Appignano there was a small port. Appignano has a little river called Monocchia. At the beginning of the 900s women went there to wash their clothes. Men went there too - to see the women's legs when they hitched up their long skirts! Stefano likes to think that this story is true. When older people meet a person from Appignano they say:

(In dialect): “Ah! Venghi da Pignà. Ce ru ‘portu’ de Pignà, ce vinio da gioenottu a vedè re gamme de re donne!”
(In Italian): Ah! vieni da Appignano. C'è il ‘porto’ ad Appignano. Ci venivo da giovane a verdere le gambe delle donne!
(In English): Ah! You come from Appignano. There is a port in Appignano. I used to go there when I was young to look at the women's legs! "

********************************************

Last but not least, Appignano has its own rock stars! They are a Rolling Stones tribute band who call themselves The Kingstones. Ciccio (Alessio), Stefano’s brother, is an excellent guitarist. They usually play in the nearby town of Macerata and went on tour last winter playing in Milano, Napoli and Salerno and it was a big success. Have a listen here and see how great they are! (Ciccio is wearing the black sleeveless shirt).



One of my favourite memories of our time in Appignano is of the night of San Lorenzo when Ciccio and Stefano serenaded us on a nearby hilltop while we watched the falling stars. It is a night I will remember forever…

Photo credit: Town Hall Appignano http://www.progressonews.com/index.php/2010/11/appignano-ancora-bandiera-verde

You might like: Ceramics in Appignano