Sicilian Sea Salt

In Trapani (Sicily) you can find salt marshes with some of the windmills that used to drain water from the water ponds in the flat marshlands of the region's coast.
Getting salt from the sea water is a slow process requiring hard labor and the hot sun of the long, dry Sicilian summers.

The ancient Egyptians knew how to get salt from the sea, and with the Greeks and Romans the "industry" flourished in Sicily. The windmills were added in medieval times. By the nineteenth century, Sicilian sea salt was exported to European countries as far away as Norway and Russia. Today many recipes specifically call for sea salt. In Sicily, the sea salt is often sold wet or damp. For this reason a few grains of rice are sometimes placed with in the salt shaker to absorb moisture and prevent hardening.

La Befana: Night Visitor

Before Christmas the students at Ambrit Rome International School had their stockings hanging in the school atrium. The students are expecting that the stockings will be filled with candy by La Befana when they return from break on January 7th.

La Befana is an old woman in Italian folklore who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5th) similar to the way that Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus delivers gifts in other parts of the world. Her name is probably derived from the Feast of Epiphany or in Italian, "La Festa dell'Epifania." Children expect that their socks will be filled with candy and presents if they are good, or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. Being a good housekeeper, parents say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. The child's family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a little bit of food for the Befana. Many Italian kitchens will have La Bafana, portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick, wearing a shawl and smiling.

This is our Befana.

A Christian legend of La Befana says that at the time of the birth of the Christ Child, Befana was spending all of her time cleaning and sweeping. One day the three wise men came to her door in search of the Holy Child. Befana turned them away because she was too busy cleaning. Later Befana noticed a bright light in the sky and thinking that this was lighting the way to the Christ Child, she left her house with some baked goods and gifts for baby Jesus in her bag. She also took her broom to help the new mother clean. Thus Befana began her search for baby Jesus. She searched and searched but never found him. Befana still searches today. On the eve of the Epiphany, Befana goes to houses where there are children and leaves gifst. Although she has been unsuccessful in her search for the baby Jesus, it is said that she leaves gifts for good children because the Christ Child can be found in all children.

A popular tradition says that if one sees La Befana one will receive a thump from her broomstick, because she doesn't want to be seen. This is probably said to keep children in their beds while parents are distributing candy (or coal) and sweeping the floor on Epiphany Eve.

Calcata: a town that used to be the home of Catholicism's "strangest relic"

A recently published book by David Farley, An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church's Strangest Relic in Italy's Oddest Town, was a birthday present in September and the motivation to take an October weekend trip to Calcata, about 45 km north of Rome. We did not arrive in the town until after dark, and had to walk in to the medieval strong hold after parking our car about .5 km away. We were greeted by a lively village just settling in for dinner. We found ourselves in the Grotta dei Germogli, a mosaic filled cave serving delicious food in an atmosphere filled with friends and folk music.
After dinner we enjoyed some time in the pizza listening to music (and dancing) until about midnight. We were able to get a very comfortable room for the night from Marijcke van der Maden, a Dutch puppet-maker, who came to Calcata in the early ’80s. We had cappuccino with her on Sunday morning and met some of the other "locals."
Before lunch we explored the narrow winding cobblestone streets. Calcata is actually a heavily fortified village, sitting atop of rock column. The only entrance into the town is by foot, and after entering the gate you ascend a winding passageway to the small piazza and town center. People say that it is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Italy.

The town was condemned by the goverment in the 1930s because it was deemed to be unsafe because of what could happen in future earthquakes danger, After many delays the inhabitants were moved in the 1960's to a new town about 1 km up the adjoining hill. In the late 1960's and 1970's bohemians (from Italy and around the world) started to inhabit the empty medieval structures and the town was reborn as an artists haven with restaurants and art galleries. (The new inhabitants even convinced the government that the assessment of earthquake danger was wrong.)
Today there are about 75 inhabitants in Calcata and it is a popular weekend destination for young Romans. There were probably 200 visitors wandering around the town on Sunday.
David Farley wrote about searching for the Church's strangest relic. The story goes that after the Sack of Rome in 1527, a German soldier, running away from Rome, ended up in Calcata with a relic he had stolen from San Giovanni Laterano. It was nothing less than the Santo Prepucio, the foreskin of Jesus. But, the Holy Foreskin mysteriously disappeared 4 centuries later in 1983. (Marijcke told us that she had seen the reliquiry in processions when she first moved to Calcata and she suspects that the Vatican took it.)

Tonight: La Befana!

As children go to sleep tonight in Italy, they have the same anticipation that American children have on Christmas eve. Tonight Italian kids are expecting a visit from La Befana. When they wake up in the morning there will be sweets and treats in their stockings and maybe a gift! (Or, there might be some coal!)


This is La Befana in our home.

There is a legend that La Befana was approached by the Three Kings a few days before Christ's birth. They asked for directions to where the baby Jesus was, but she didn't know. She gave them shelter for the night. (She was considered the best housekeeper in the village with the most pleasant home.) The Three Kings invited her to join them on the journey to find the baby Jesus, but she said no because she was too busy with her housework. Later, La Befana had changed her mind, and tried to search out the Three Kings and Jesus. She was not able to find them. Even to this night, La Befana is searching for the baby Jesus. While she is searching, she leaves all the good children toys and candy, while the bad children get coal.

Stockings have been hanging in the Ambrit Rome International School atrium throughout the holiday season. When students return on January 7th they will discover that La Befana has left treats in their stockings.

Olives, Poppies, and Trulli

On Sunday we got back from a four day trip to Puglia, a region in southern Italy on the Adriatic coast. We spent three nights in Locorotondo, a beautiful baroque town overlooking the Valley of Itria. Puglia is a land of roads lined with rock walls, fields of poppies and acres and acres of olive trees.

One of our first excursions took us to the Castel del Monte, an interesting octagonal stone prisim built by the Emperor Frederick II in the 13th Century. There are several theories about the construction of the castle. Is the plan mathematical or magical? One can see Romanesque, Gothic, and Arabian influences in its design. All in all, it seems to be more of a monument to the emperor than a structure for defense. It sits atop a hill like a permanent crown for the Holy Roman Emperor who built it.

Locorotondo is a hill top town, surrounded by farm lands, built on a plan of narrow circular streets with white washed houses, staircases and arches. Our bed and breakfast was in the shadow of the bell tower of the 18th Century of San Georgio. We enjoyed quiet evenings walking through the white stone streets to go to dinner or to the bar/gelateria for a dessert.



Close to Locorotondo is the city of Alberobello, which has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of the many Trulli in the city. Trulli (singular=Trullo) are unusual rounded structures made from grey stone with cone-shaped roofs. The hilltop that makes up Alberobello's center is made up of over a hundred Trulli, some 5 centuries old.

Trulli Saints!

The origin of this stone teepee design is unknown. Some theories date the Trulli back 5000 years. One story of their origin claims that they were first constructed during the Middle Ages to avoid paying dwelling taxes. If the occupants heard that the tax man was coming, the Trulli were rapidly dismantled and moved out of sight. After the tax collector's visit was over, the homes were re-erected. Today you see Trulli that are firmly "planted and buttressed" with stucco and connecting walls. Three or four Trulli are often united by walls to form larger homes.


We also visited the towns of Ostuni, San Vito dei Normanni and Martina Franca.

Women of Ostuni.

Cleaning time in Marina Franca

Men of San Vito dei Normanni

Wedding in Martina Franca