The communities do not adore the avant-garde modern architecture (built in the '70s and '80s) of the new towns, built in different locations, and say they were not consulted with a lot of the decision making. Many would have preferred to rebuilt in the old towns, which now sit in ruins on the hills above the new towns. But the government and building committees insisted. But despite this challenge, the communities live on. And the festival of San Giuseppe, a spring festival of thanksgiving and renewal, speaks to the enduring faith of the community.
One of the most haunting parts of this festival, San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph) was the story of the towns where we filmed, Poggioreale and Salaparuta. As I mentioned in my last post, both towns, along withe many others in the Belice Valley, were demolished in a terrifying earthquake in 1968. The towns were centuries old, full of beautiful architecture, grand churches, and lots of embedded history. The earthquake came like a flash in the night and killed hundreds of people. People say that the ground opened up in dark chasms and buildings collapsed like dust. But somehow, out of this hellish experience, the communities did not loose faith or hope. Though some people emigrated to Australia, many were so tied to home (or who had no money to leave) they lived in barricks (make-shift, drafty housing) for 14 years while the Italian government twiddled their thumbs about the rebuilding effort. The communities do not adore the avant-garde modern architecture (built in the '70s and '80s) of the new towns, built in different locations, and say they were not consulted with a lot of the decision making. Many would have preferred to rebuilt in the old towns, which now sit in ruins on the hills above the new towns. But the government and building committees insisted. But despite this challenge, the communities live on. And the festival of San Giuseppe, a spring festival of thanksgiving and renewal, speaks to the enduring faith of the community. We went to the ruins of the Poggioreale and Salaparuta to film for ambiance and I was incredibly moved by them. They were a curious mix of tragedy and beauty, decay and grace. Nature, as she is wont to do, moved in when the people were forced to move out. The towns are an interesting study in Sicilian native plants and weeds, as they grow in abundance, in stairways, the narrow streets, open parts of buildings. A lone orange tree had sprung up in what remained of the church courtyard. Salaparuta, including the big cathedral, was raised to the ground and very little remains, but in Poggioreale, buildings are still intact enough to see what life was like in the 1960s in Sicily. Because at that time, this part of Sicily was rural and poor, removed from time, it's like walking into a time capsul. We even found an old fashioned woman's shoe in a windowsill, now full of plants. However, I can't imagine what it would be like as a local to return to these ruins, haunted by memories. After a picnic of local meats and cheeses at the ruins of the Salaparuta cathedral, we headed to a local bakery, where they make the famous bread for the San Giuseppe altars. Fabrizia and Giacomo had already been there to film a few days before, but we stopped by for some more. You simply cannot get enough of watching the baker and his skilled female assistants form this beautifully shaped bread. All over Sicily, they make intricate breads for San Giuseppe Day, but here they are particularly beautiful, filled with wild fennel seed and formed into a variety of shapes for the altars. The baker takes extreme pride in his work and was beaming about his techniques when he recounted them to us. The breads must be made to last several days, so they are dense. They must also be the consistency to hold their form and to become an even, gorgeous golden color on the outside. When you are given a piece of bread at one of the altars, the tradition is never to say "thank you" because it is not a gift from the person handing it to you, but a blessing from God. Despite knowing this, I kept repeatedly slipping and saying, "Grazie" which is the Italian word I say more than any other. It is programmed into my tongue. The next day, Giacomo and I set out to do landscape filming in the area, to capture the blooming spring in Western Sicily. While he filmed the wide vistas, the green of the rolling hills, I used the macro lens and 7d camera to film all the marvelous details that I have grown to love about the Sicilian countryside. The busy bees in the local wildflowers were my favorite subject that day, as they buzzed around for pollen, gathering for the honey that sweetens so many dishes on the San Giuseppe table. The most laughable moment of the day came when I fell into a two-feet-deep vat of mud while climbing into a wheat field. I walked around the rest of the day with muddy feet, provoking quite a few raised eyebrows in the town. We also filmed the local sheep, who provide the famous Sicilian ricotta the fills the cakes, cannoli, and sfince on the altar tables. Sadly, no Sicilian dessert is truly recreatable without this superb creamy cheese. It is so far removed from the bland cow's milk version you can buy in supermarkets. When you bite into a cannolo, the sweetened ricotta transports you to a heavenly sphere for several minutes. I also find that sheep make such superb models for photography, as they always stare directly at the camera. Finally, we went to one of the houses that was housing one of the famous altars (which we will feature next post), where they were making one of the many cakes. This one featured a sponge cake base, covered with homemade peach preserves made the year before, and covered with marzipan (almond paste). The care that goes into all the recipes is lovely. The community take such pride in the beauty of the altars and every edible component of them has to be perfect. At sunset on the evening before the festival day, we filmed an olive grove overlooking the valley. I was truly excited about the next day, which promised to an unforgettable one.
3 Comments
adua
2/9/2015 08:42:41 am
Thank you for this lovely taste of Home!
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1/15/2018 08:02:16 am
What a lovely tribute to the heritage and culture of the Belice Valley. Especially poignant today to read this lovely post. My mother's family comes from Contessa Entellina and I was finally able to make it there in November this year. It touched my soul in ways I never expected.
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Lillia Barbetta
1/16/2018 10:49:47 am
This village is called the ghost village. It's a real incredible place and the sourranding are beautiful
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ABOUT USThis film project is produced by the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School in the heart of Sicily. We hope to chronicle the many saint festivals in Sicily and how they support slow food cultures on the island. We anticipate that it will hit film festivals and be available for sale in 2015. This website and blog are to chronicle our progress for our financial supporters, followers, and friends. ARCHIVES
December 2014
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