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The sultry heat, sand blowing in the morning air, and the parched land of Salento, a small subregion in Apulia. The women here, bent over to work in the fields, are marked by fatigue. A tarantula bites one of their ankles, so she runs to grab a tambourine and dance without inhibition, until all the poison finally exits her body.

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The mythical etiology of the feast of Our Lady of Carmine is linked to the founding legends related to Our Lady of Carmine. According to tradition, on July 16th, 1251 the Virgin appeared to Simone Stock and gave him a scapular, saying: “Prendi, o figlio dilettissimo, questo Scapolare del tuo Ordine, segno distintivo della mia Confraternita. Ecco un...

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Ripalimosani is a village located about 7 km. from Campobasso where, as in the whole area, already in very ancient times there were Samnite settlements. It was founded as a medieval urban agglomeration because of the migration of the inhabitants of Limosano, another nearby village, who took refuge in the area to defend themselves from the raids of...

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In spring, between May 7th and May 10th, artistic illuminations, angels, archangels, games and spectacular fireworks are at the center of an intense ritual that the community of Ottaviano (Naples) dedicates to the patron saint, Michael, the archangel who led the angelic hosts in the fight against the rebel angels commanded by Lucifer, annihilating...

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Abruzzo is a precious land for its position in our peninsula, a region that collects ancient traditions that draw the sense of identity and pride of its people. Today, more than ever, a sense of belonging has been re-evaluated in the light of what has happened in the territory due to the earthquakes that, after the earthquake that struck L'Aquila i...

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It is impossible, if not even pretentious, to accurately illustrate what is happening during the Holy Week in two regions rich in popular traditions such as Basilicata and Puglia. The religious practices of the Lenten and Easter cycle, present almost everywhere, are very varied and articulated, even though they present devotional and scenic-represe...

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"In the name of the Assumption, / brothers, beat yourself": to this invitation, pronounced with a stony voice by the Capo dei battenti, hundreds and hundreds of devotees kneel down on the churchyard, the chest begins to be struck with blood, while the painting of the Madonna leaves the church of Guardia Sanframondi, Sannio, in the Province of Benev...

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The winter time of the holiday calendar has always been marked by the presence of fire. A flame that warms bodies and hearts, a fire that cooks food consumed together, light that illuminates ancient rituals. Among the celebrations still alive in Abruzzo, the feast of St. Anthony Abbott, on January 17, exalts its flamboyant presence and elects it as...

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In addition to being the most important and representative Christmas tradition, the crib is also the oldest: the first nativity scene was made by St. Francis and his friars on the night of 24th and 25th December 1223 in the mountains of Greccio, near Rieti in the Lazio region. The first crib is actually a mass exceptionally celebrated in a cave rat...

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Gubbio is a fine small medieval town, situated in the region of Umbria, a region located in the center of Italy. It is in Gubbio that San Francis encountered and tamed the famous wolf. Positioned at a height of approximately 500 meters above sea level, Gubbio is located at the base of Mount Ingino, a mountain about 900 meters high.

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