Tag Archives: Orsara di Puglia

Percorso della Memoria

28 Sunday Feb 2021

Posted by in Italian life, Orsara di Puglia, Photography, Puglia

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Largo San Michele Orsara di Puglia

During my last trip to Orsara di Puglia in July 2019, I arrived just in time for a new event, the Fine Confine Festival held in conjunction with Montaguto.  Montaguto is the closest town, less than 7 km away, but it is ‘across the border’ because it is in Campania.  Fine Confine means ‘no more borders’.  Of course, there is no actual border between Puglia and Campania, it was meant to be an emotional reflection on borders and walls.  

The 3 day festa had a jam-packed creative program.  One of the featured events was an open air exhibit, Percorso della Memoria.  The exhibit featured black and white photos taken by local architect Nicola G Tramonte between 1972 – 2008, super mega enlarged and affixed to the textured stone exteriors of buildings in the Centro Storico.  The photos are from his 2016 book Consegna di un Mondo (Surrender of a World).  It weighs almost 2kg, so I left my copy in Orsara!  Percorso della memoria, literally ‘path of the memory’, is best translated as ‘a stroll down memory lane’.  

My favourite piece, both for image and location is of Z’Ndunett (Zia Antonietta), my friend’s bisnonna, with her nose in a book.  It is on the imposing portone of Palazzo Varo in Largo San Michele.  I wonder what she is reading-it looks like it could be a prayer book? It was rare for anyone of her generation to make it past grade 2, which make the photo even more interesting.

True amicizia.  These two vecchiette were likely the best of friends for almost a century. Vecchiette are little old ladies.  Isn’t that what LOL meant before texting?

Un centesimo for her thoughts?  If only we knew what she was thinking.

This image is on the outer side wall of the 17th Century Fontana Nuova, where my Mamma used to wash clothes.  These gnarled, wrinkled, sturdy hands have worked and tilled the soil.  Likely they hand washed a lot of laundry too!

The only colour photo in the exhibit, this one is on the portone of an abandoned building I have always been fond of.  I refer to it as la casa del cappero because there is a caper tree growing from the inside. The owner died long ago, and apparently a disinterested heiress in New York does not give it much thought.  The subject lived around the corner and she fits right in,  seeming to become part of the building.  I remember her from the 1980’s when she was scandalized by my sister’s short shorts.  She would mumble ‘puttanella, puttanella’ when 8 year old Lucia walked by!

My friend Antonietta’s dress blends nicely into the colour palette as she admires this photo.  I adore these chickens who look like they are doing ‘lo struscio‘ – a passeggiata up the main street of Orsara! There were actually 2 photos on this wall, as you can see in the next photo.  This beauty is one of my favourite doors in town.

The ragazzo in this portrait with his infectious gap-toothed laugh absolutely radiates the joy of childhood! The wire his hand is gripping is mirrored in the real wire of the clothesline and the cast shadow it leaves. Unlike the rest of the photos in the exhibit which are on crumbling exteriors, this one is on a clean, newly painted surface.  My nonno Luigi used to live around the corner to the right.

There is another photo across the narrow street, but I did not get a close image of it.  I love the afternoon cast shadows on the walls. I am  constantly on the lookout for cast shadows when I wander the streets of Orsara-you can see some of my discoveries in  Il Sole di Metà Pomeriggio.

This last photo by Nicola is actually from an earlier exhibit during Fucacost e Cocce Priatorje, the November 1st festa in 2017.  I had to include it here because it was affixed to the wall of a wall down and across the narrow street from my casa in Orsara.  The red palazzo belongs to the same owner as la casa del cappero.  They are painted the same colour.  You can see the street is decorated for the festa with zucche (pumpkins) and ginestra (Scotch broom).  In case anyone is wondering ….small cars do drive these  narrow streets!

I hope you have enjoyed this virtual tour.  Hopefully there will be another Fine Confine Festival soon, when travel is possible again.  To see more of Nicola’s photos, check out his instagram account @nicolagtramonte.  

Buon viaggio (speriamo), Cristina

Il Sole di Metà Pomeriggio

23 Wednesday May 2018

Posted by in Italia, Orsara di Puglia, Photography, Puglia

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La luce del sole di metà pomeriggio- the light of the mid-afternoon Mediterranean sun is absolutely stunning.  In the backdrop of a medieval hilltop village, cast shadows create abstract shapes among the stone walls, staircases and winding cobblestone streets.

Last summer was exceptionally hot, even at an altitude of 750m like Orsara di Puglia.  Both of the negozi elettrodomestici, the appliance stores, repeatedly ran out of portable electric fans.  Most people remained indoors after pranzo, until at least 4pm.  While everyone else was resting in the cool enclaves of their stone houses,  I often ventured out to try and capture the light with my camera.Here are some of my results….mostly monochromatic, mostly square, abstract shapes cast by the magnificent light of the mid-afternoon sun.Even my tiny balcony on narrow Via Regina Margherita is flooded with la luce del sole!

Imagine the smell of orecchiette con sugo wafting down empty Via XX Settembre just before pranzo. Yum!

Laundry dries in no time with the heat of the afternoon sun, and the shadows make interesting shapes on the old stone walls. This Nonna on Via Cavour wonders what I am doing out in this heat!My Cinquecento radar spots a visiting specimen in town.  The light makes interesting reflections and cast shadows on the street.

Shade under the ombrellone at the local bar.          I hope you enjoyed my attempt to capture ‘la luce’ in these photos!    Ciao, Cristina

A Perfect Day in Italia

10 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Italia, Italian life, Orsara di Puglia, Puglia

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The Dolce Vita Bloggers link-up theme this month is ‘a perfect day in Italy’. What a topic!  There are so many possibilities.  I have written about many wonderfully perfect days, in Roma, Matera, Alberobello, the Val d’Orcia, Polignano a Mare….  How do I narrow down what to write about? With too much material to choose from, I decided to write about a typical day ‘at home’ in Orsara di Puglia, where most days are laid back, spontaneous and pretty darn perfetto!

My day usually starts out with a long, early morning passeggiata to la Montagna Spaccata.  I call it ‘la Palestra di Madre Natura’ or ‘mother nature’s gym’, an uphill zig-zag walk up the mountain towards Campania with fresh aria di montagna, breathtaking views and encounters with fellow walkers.  I usually walk to the border with Campania, when I reach the pale eoliche (PAH•leh Eh•oh•LEH•keh).

Pale eoliche (wind turbines) near Montaguto

I have also walked all the way to Montaguto, in Campania 6 km away . I am not a ‘morning person’, but in the summer, the walk must be early, otherwise it gets too hot to walk on the way back. Long walks are necessary when you spend weeks eating lots yummy food and still want to fit into your clothes!

When I am back from my walk, cleaned up and changed, I often stop at the bar for an espressino, known as caffè marocchino in the rest of italia.  I also sneak in a few minutes of wifi.  Sometimes I walk to Piano Paradiso and have caffè with Peppe Zullo in the morning or afternoon.  Then I usually do servizi-errands, including shopping for food. Refrigerators are small, and most people shop at least every other day for fresh local ingredients.  Fresh bread and taralli are purchased at il forno.  Generi Alimentari are delis and also carry general grocery items.  My favourite items to purchase are fresh mozzarelle and the local specialty, cacioricotta.  Once a week, mozzarelle di bufala arrive and I am first in line! Fruit and vegetables are from the fruttivendolo-unless the neighbours give you produce from their orto.  There are also travelling fruttivendoli, selling out of small trucks.

Il fruttivendolo barely fits in Via Regina Margherita!

I celebrate when fiori di zucca are available!  Another local specialty is Tuccanese, vino made from a local native grape. As in most non-touristy towns in Italia, shops close at 1pm for la pausa pranzo and reopen at 5pm, until 8pm.

Giovedi mattina-Thursday morning is the mercato in Orsara.  The street is lined with bancarelle selling everything from fresh formaggi to produce, linens, shoes and household stuff.  A great spot to run into everyone in town, including visitors. Il postino likes giovedi, as he can hand everyone their mail on their way to the mercato.

The rest of the morning is usually spent helping to prepare pranzo, the main meal of the day, at 1pm.  In the summer, my parents are also in Orsara, sometimes my sister and her family too, so there is lots of food preparation going on, using ultra fresh local ingredients.

There is no need for a watch. My casa is right near the main church and the campanile– bell tower.  La campana rings every 15 minutes.  On the hour, there is one ‘ding’ for each hour, and every 15 minutes there is a higher pitched ‘ding’.  For example, at 12:45 la campana rings 12 times, followed by 3 higher pitched rings.  Back in the day when no one had a watch, contadini working in the fields would know the time. You might think this would get annoying, but la campana was broken for a year, and it was really missed! Once the dishes are done, it is orario di riposo-quiet time, as it is too hot to do much else.  Most people do not nap every afternoon, but they at least stay home and have a riposo, a rest. A short pisolino is quite civilized if you are up very early and plan to stay out late! The afternoon rest is not called a siesta in italiano- riposo or la pausa. I often read or do clean up stuff around the house, like hang laundry to dry. There are no dryers here as electricity is ridiculously expensive and sunlight is free. I may brave the mid afternoon sun to go out and take photos. The maze of steep, windy, cobblestone streets and alleys are empty and I am alone with the light and the incredible shadows.  To quote myself…

’ la luce … la gloriosa e magnifica luce del sole di metà pomeriggio è incredibile. Vorrei dipingere quella luce! / the light….the glorious and magnificent light of the mid-afternoon sun is incredible.  I want to paint that light!’ (Cristina, October 2017).

At 5pm shops and bars reopen and the streets come to life again.  I visit friends and relatives, meet for gelato, shop, or find somewhere to sit with my sketchbook. I also love to walk to La Cupa, the olive grove that used to belong to my Nonno to pick plums, figs and pears. I usually need to stop at one of the bars to use wifi, although as I explained in Chiuso per Ferie in August, this can end up seeming quite antisocial.

Sundays, I sleep in, unless going on a daytrip.  I love to have cappuccino and a cornetto crema di pistacchio before 11:00 Mass in the ancient Grotta di San Michele Arcangelo. At least one Sunday, I look forward to a barbecue at La Cupa with my extended family.

‘un po’ di relax’ under the olive trees

After 9pm, it is time for the evening passeggiata, walking up and down ‘il Corso’ and socializing. There are pizzerie and bars with outdoor seating along il Corso. On summer evenings, there are often concerts or special events.My favourite part of the passeggiata is walking all the way to the top of the Corso, past where the houses stop, then the streetlights stop.  It is buio (BOO•yoh) -dark, you can hear grille (GREEL•leh)-crickets, and see the stars.  On clear, windless nights, lucciole (looch•CHEEOH•leh)-fireflies make the night absolutely magical. There is usually a stop for a drink at an outdoor table before ending up back at home…never before midnight though! Buonanotte, Cristina.

Click on these links to read previous posts about wonderfully perfect days spent in… Alberobello, the Isole Tremiti, Matera, Polignano a Mare, Paestum, Roma, Trani and the Val d’Orcia.

This post is written as part of the monthly #dolcevitabloggers linkup, hosted by Jasmine of Questa Dolce Vita, Kelly of Italian at Heart and Kristie of Mamma Prada the 7th -14th of every month.

Autunno in Italia

30 Thursday Nov 2017

Posted by in Firenze, Italia, Orsara di Puglia, Photography, Roma, Travel tips

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Returning from my short trip to Italia, as usual I was back to work the next morning.  This did not help with the cambiamento di fuso orario. I have so many posts to write, but now they will have to wait until after Christmas. Until then, here is a quick summary with some highlights from my viaggietto.  It was a bit of a blur….at 17 days, I think this was my shortest ever trip to Italia!

I had not been to Italia in autunno before. The fall weather was mostly clear and sunny, with a few days of serious rain. I envisioned myself having every piazza practically to myself….was I ever mistaken!  My first few days were in Roma the last weekend of October.  The Pantheon was packed with more people than I have ever seen in July! I could barely make it through the crowd to throw my coin into the Fontana di Trevi!  I found out that some European countries have their school midterm break around this time.  In Italia November 1st, All Saints’ Day, is a holiday and many Italians take ‘il ponte al primo novembre’, an extra-long weekend.  Even so, the guard at the Pantheon said ‘Qui non c’è bassa stagione’-there is no low season here.  My 2 partial weekends in Firenze were similar.  Smaller places, especially the seaside are quiet at this time of year, but the cities always have a lot of visitors, especially on the weekend.  Despite my utter shock at the hoardes of tour groups I was not expecting, Roma was glorious as usual. One day I want to spend a whole month in Roma.

Franco joined me for the first 9 days-this was only confirmed a week before leaving! He had not been to Roma in a very long time, so we decided to visit the Colosseo and Foro Romano.  I took way too many photos of this.  I was obsessed with the way the sunlight struck this green door on the Tempio di Romolo in the Foro Romano. The rest of the day involved a lot of walking. It was centered around a visit to Poggi to buy Fabriano Rosaspina paper for my art retreat, and meeting a friend in Monti.  We ended up doing everything on my Un Giorno a Roma itinerary and a few extras.

Monti

Spending just 4 days in Orsara di Puglia was a mad dash. This was not enough time to visit family and friends, so I greeted a lot of them in the street.  I heard the same phrase from anyone who was not expecting me ‘Ma sei fuori stagione!’. I guess I was out of season, but technically so were they!  It was hard to recognize people bundled up in their puffy piumini. November 1 is a holiday, and in Orsara also the festa Fucacoste e Cocce Priatorje.  In Italiano this would be Falò e Teste del Purgatorio (bonfires and heads from purgatory). Sometimes we simply call it ‘Tutti Santi’.  I wrote about the festa in this post, and now that I have been there myself, I will add photos or write a new post.  There were zucche and bonfires everywhere.  My balcony was decorated with zucche.  I took so many photos I am still going through them, but here are a few. 

Il fuoco e le zucche di Antonella e Domenico

The festa was absolutely amazing and also a moving, sprirtual experience-for me and 20,000 others. The weather was clear and crisp, but it was very cold at night.  My little casa has no heat, so I borrowed an electric space heater.  Brrrrr.

I encountered a lot of olives on this trip. It seemed every road near Orsara was full of parked cars and people with crates and olive nets.  I was not used to seeing the trees full of ripe olives!  I enjoyed spending a day at my Nonno’s olive grove. One evening we walked past the frantoio, the olive mill, which is always closed the rest of the year.  The divine smell of pressed olives lured me in.  I photo-documented the entire olive oil extraction process for a future post.  Then it was arrivederci Orsara until July.  Unfortunately, I missed my family’s olive harvest by one day, but I was able to pick olives in Gugliano.

Next was Firenze for 2 half days. I had not been for several years and it felt good to be back. A spectacular view was the reward for a long morning walk along and across the Arno to Piazzale Michelangelo. A torrential downpour started just as we arrived, so the return trip was very wet. I had to blow dry myself, then got back out in the rain to catch the train to Lucca.  We arrived in Lucca just as thousands of attendees were leaving the Lucca Comics and Games Convention.  For security reasons, the front of the stazione was closed off.  My ride was waiting out front, so by the time we got there, I looked like I had been through the spin cycle.  The imposing medieval walls of Lucca were barely visible through the rain and the mist.  Next came the bumpy half hour ride to Casa Berti near Gugliano for the Catalyst Art Retreat.

Casa Berti

Luckily a fire was waiting.  Franco was in charge of roasting castagne, then he caught the last train back to Firenze to fly home in the am. The retreat was wonderful and the location stunning.  My fellow artists were an inspiration.

My corner of the studio at Casa Berti, looking out over olive trees

Artist Mary Cinque working on a woodcut in the studio

The retreat ended with an exhibit at Villa Coloreda near Pietrasanta

I also found time to visit Lucca, pick olives and cachi, make limoncello cake with freshly pressed olive oil and finally try Bistecca alla Fiorentina.  Lots of material for future posts.

#cooldudesroma

So much for a ‘quick’ summary! I’ll end with a few notes about travelling to Italia in autunno:

-It may be ‘low season’ for airfares, but unless your destination is a small town or a seaside area, do not expect to be alone! This is especially true on weekends. In the cities, midweek hotel prices are lower, but they go up on weekends.

-Dancing around an almost empty Piazza Navona is possible……before 8am!

-The days are shorter.  It gets dark at 16:30 to be exact. Take this into account when making plans for the day.

-The weather can be variable. Even if the days are sunny, nights are cold.  Dress ‘a la cipolla’, in layers like an onion, and be prepared for rain too!

Il Ponte Vecchio 12 Novembre

Buon Viaggio, Cristina

Chiuso per Ferie

25 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by in Blogging, Italian life, Orsara di Puglia

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Chiuso per ferie = closed for holidays.  Chiuso per ferie signs can be seen posted all over Italia in summer, especially in the weeks before and after Ferragosto, the 15th of August. I was not organized to post-date anything and was hoping I could publish a few posts with only my iPad and wifi, but i give up. Un po’ di pepe is now chiuso per ferie until mid August!

I have a chiavetta internet, which until this year, I used at home with a small laptop.  I would load $ on it and use it for 1 month a year.  The technology is old and it was not a great connection anyways, making it more frustrating than useful.  I ended up wasting a lot of time, so this year, I decided to scrap it and just make do with wifi available at 3 bars in town.

Not so easy!  My wifi access usually consists of a few stolen minutes here and there. When I sit at the bar with my espressino, inevitably, someone sees me sitting there and comes over to chat, which is awesome, and much more sociable than staring at a screen by myself.  In the evening, I am usually at one of the bars, but with family or friends, so anything longer than a quick Instagram post is socially unacceptable.

One of the bars is at a crossroads, very close to my casa.  I have to walk past it to get to most of the places I need to go,  When I walk past, I walk really slowly and then I hear my pocket go ‘ding ding ding’ as all of my WhatsApp messages come in!  I read them later, and respond when in wifi again.  

I have been too busy socializing, taking photos and enjoying the fresh air in Orsara di Puglia to have time to keep up with reading blog posts, let alone deal with the technical issues of posting any.  I have been posting frequently to Instagram and a bit on Facebook.  If you want to see what I have been up to, check out my Instagram feed on the sidebar to the right.  For now, consider me chiuso per ferie! Ciao da Orsara, Cristina

Villa Jamele

21 Wednesday Jun 2017

Posted by in Amici e Famiglia, Italia, Orsara di Puglia, Photography, Puglia

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Villa Jamele (ya·MEH·leh) was mentioned in my post Peppe Zullo~Il Cuoco Contadino. Peppe’s 180,000 m² azienda agricola (agricultural estate) includes this second location acquired in 2004.  Villa Jamele is a few km down the road from Orsara di Puglia, towards Troia.  The property takes its name from the historic 1700’s villa of Hector Jamele, which has been reconstructed and is now home to an international cooking school and 5 guest rooms on the upper floor.

Sala Guadalajara is a large circular reception hall.  There is also a glass reception room, Sala Veracruz.  The photo below was taken from the roof terrace of Villa Jamele.

Dalla terra alla tavola is the philosophy at Villa Jamele.  This translates to ‘Field to table’. Food does not get any fresher. In addition to producing wine and olive oil, Peppe Zullo grows most of his own vegetables here at Villa Jamele, including pomodori which are canned on site in August. 

Il Bosco dei Sapori Perduti is a biodiverse orchard which includes over 50 varieties of fruit trees and herbs.  Peppe uses local, traditional products in his cooking, including wild greens and herbs such as boragine (borage), marasciuolo –a type of wild rucola found in Puglia, fiori di zucca, and wild asparagus. Behind Sala Guadalajara, past a reconstructed stone archway is a large vineyard where grapes for Peppe’s vini, Ursaria and Aliuva are grown.  Read more about them in this post.Also on the grounds is a pond and various animals, including ducks, geese, a donkey and one muddy but very photogenic maiale nero and his famiglia.

The Villa Jamele site is a tranquil oasis of green, dotted with ancient olive trees. My favourite area of Villa Jamele is the campo dei girasoli-a field of sunflowers blooming every July. 

La Scuola Internazionale di Cucina at Villa Jamele is open from September to November and February to April.  Classes can be organized for 8-16 participants. To book an event, suite, destination wedding , or make a reservation at Ristorante Peppe Zullo, call or email 39 0881 964763 info@peppezullo.it

Villa Jamele, Piano della Corte, Orsara di Puglia (FG) http://www.peppezullo.it

I hope you have enjoyed my favourite ‘scatti‘ of Villa Jamele! Ciao, Cristina

Peppe Zullo~Il Cuoco-Contadino

28 Sunday May 2017

Posted by in Amici e Famiglia, Orsara di Puglia, Puglia, Vino

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My amico Peppe Zullo is known as ‘Il Cuoco-Contadino’. At the age of 24, Peppe left Orsara di Puglia to work in Boston and Puerto Vallarta Mexico, where he opened a restaurant.  He moved back to Orsara and opened his ristorante in 1992 on his family land in the Piano Paradiso area.  Piano Paradiso is an idyllic setting facing Orsara di Puglia, with spectacular views.  Peppe greets visitors with the appropriate salutation ‘Benvenuti in Paradiso’.

Peppe Zullo nel vigneto. Photo Nicola Tramonte

The Piano Paradiso site also includes a reception hall, Nuova Sala Paradiso and the award winning cantina. Peppe’s wine cellar La Cantina del Paradiso, designed by Nicola Tramonte was featured in the exhibit ‘Le Cattedrali del Vino’ at the Biennale di Venezia Archittetura in 2010. It is built into the side of a hill, with a vineyard on top! As Peppe likes to say, it’s the only cantina where you have to climb up stairs! This is the best place in town on a hot day! The cantina is built to resemble a subterranean small town with narrow streets and rooms. It also features colourful, whimsical original artwork by Leon Marino, an artist from Troia.

L’angelo contadino by Leon Marino

La Cantina is full of vino! Peppe Zullo produces about 25,000 bottles per year. His 2 wines are Aliuva and Ursaria. Aliuva is 80% Tuccanese 20% Uva di Troia (Nero di Troia) and Merlot.  Ursaria is 80% Tuccanese, 20% Uva di Troia and Cabernet, and is aged for 5 years in wood barrels. Peppe’s vino is served in his restaurant and event facilities and sold on site and at Peppe Zullo Point in Foggia. Read more in part 3 of my Vini di Puglia series- Il Tuccanese.

At the top of the hill, looking out over the vigna, are the Suites del Paradiso, 5 rental suites with a view of the rooftops of Orsara. Above the suites, at the top of the estate is a wheat field growing an ancient Pugliese strain called Senatore Cappelli.  We call it  ‘Strambell’ in Orsarese. Pale Eoliche, wind turbines belonging to Montaguto can be seen behind the field.  Also on site are Peppe’s home, offices, several places for outdoor receptions or enjoying the scenery and a fenced in area with fruit trees, sheep and horses.

Peppe’s 180,000 m² azienda agricola (agricultural estate) also includes a second location acquired in 2004.  Villa Jamele is a few km down the road towards Troia.  The reconstructed 1700’s villa is home to an international cooking school, with rooms on the upper floor. Villa Jamele is featured in the next post.

Dalla terra alla tavola or Cibo a km 0 is the philosophy here.  This translates to ‘Field to table’ or the ‘100 mile diet’. Food does not get any fresher. In addition to producing wine and olive oil, Peppe grows most of his own vegetables at Villa Jamele, including pomodori which are canned on site in August.  Il Bosco dei Sapori Perduti is a biodiverse orchard which includes over 50 varieties of fruit trees and herbs.  Peppe uses local, traditional products including wild greens and herbs such as boragine (borage), marasciuolo (a type of wild rucola found in Puglia), fiori di zucca, wild asparagus, Greek mint and Cacioricotta, a DOP goat cheese made only in Orsara. He makes bread and pasta with zucca and grano arso and also produces his own cheeses. One of Peppe favourite antipasti are ‘ostriche di montagne’ or ‘mountain oysters’.  These are lightly battered and fried foglie di Boragine – borage leaves. My favourite antipasto is fiori di zucca al forno ripieni di caciocavallo!

Orecchiette di grano arso al sugo, Ristorante Peppe Zullo Orsara di Puglia

Peppe is an ambassador for cucina povera and the gastronomic traditions of Puglia.  In the last few years, he has made frequent television appearances on RAI’s Uno Mattina and Geo & Geo. Check them ou on his Youtube channel. Appuntamento con la Daunia, a 2 day event celebrating local cuisine and products is held at Villa Jamele every year, the second week in October. I receive an invitation every year but have not been able to attend…yet.

Peppe was the chef representing Puglia for the month of May at Expo 2015 in Milano. They served a lot of orecchiette di grano arso!  That same year, along with another Pugliese chef, he catered an Indian wedding for 1,000 guests in Borgo Egnazio, near Ostuni. In 2016 he catered the 80th birthday party for Lino Banfi-who plays the adorable Nonno on RAI’s ‘Un Medico in Famiglia’.

Peppe Zullo & Lino Banfi

Ristorante Peppe Zullo is open daily for pranzo, the mid-day meal. They are not open in the evening.  Afterwards, visit the cantina, vigneto or take a short passeggiata to Orsara.  La Scuola di Cucina at Villa Jamele is open from September to November and February to April.  Classes are 5 hours per day 6 days a week and can be organized for 8-16 participants. To make a reservation at Ristorante Peppe Zullo, book a suite, cooking class or destination wedding, call or email 39 0881 964763  info@peppezullo.it

Via Piano Paradiso, Orsara di Puglia FG www.peppezullo.it

Peppe is on Facebook, Instagram(@peppezullo), Twitter(@peppezullo2), and Youtube

Stay tuned for posts on Villa Jamele and La Cantina del Paradiso.  Ciao, Cristina

Muscitaglia

01 Tuesday Nov 2016

Posted by in Culture, Feste, Italian Folklore, Orsara di Puglia, Puglia

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muscitaglia2016

Muscitaglia (moo•shee•TAH•lyah) is a traditional dish served on November 1st in Orsara di Puglia. It probably dates back from the ancient Greeks and Byzantines. Muscitaglia, in both Greek and Latin is made up of the words mosto (wine must) and talia (grain). The ingredients include boiled grain and vino cotto, which is actually mosto cotto- boiled down grape must which becomes a thick, sweet liquid. Pomegranate seeds and walnut pieces are also added when available. These  ingredients are simple and symbolic of fertility and abundance, but also of honour and respect for the dead.

November 1st is the night of Tutti i Santi (All Saints), a night which provides the opportunity to reconnect and pay respects to deceased loved ones.  My post on the ancient festival Fucacoste e Cocce Priatorje which takes place in Orsara di Puglia has more information on the traditions and festivities.

Muscitaglia

Muscitaglia

Watch the video ‘#quinonèhalloween’ featuring recently deceased Zi’ Gaetan talking about Fucacoste e Cocce Priatorje and its significance.   I’m sure a few homes in Orsara will put out a chair tonight for Zi’ Gaetan so he can rest on his way to Paradiso.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W5RD0-9H-A

Read about tonight’s festa (in Italiano) on the Comune di Orsara di Puglia website.  For more about Orsara di Puglia, check out ‘Benvenuti ad Orsara di Puglia’.  Ci vediamo alla festa!  Cristinamuscitaglia3

La Madonna della Neve

05 Friday Aug 2016

Posted by in Culture, Feste, Italia, Italian life, Orsara di Puglia, Puglia

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MadonnanevechiesaAugust 5th is the feast day of La Madonna della Neve (the Madonna of the Snow).  She is one of the Patron Saints of Orsara di Puglia and there is a big festa.  She is carried through Orsara in a procession and returned to her usual spot in the main church. In the evening there is a Mass, then music and fireworks in her honour.  La Madonna della Neve is the protectoress and Patron Saint of many paesi montani or mountain villages because, of course, it snows!

La Madonna della Neve is tied to the origins of the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore in Roma.  According to legend, in the year 352, the night between August 4th and 5th, the Madonna appeared in a dream to a wealthy couple who wanted to build a church.  She asked them to build a church where snow had fallen during the night.  They went to tell Pope Liberio and it turns out he had the exact same dream during the night!

In the middle of a hot Roman summer, snow had fallen on L’Esquilino, the Esquiline Hill.  The perimeter of the snowed on area was where the church of Santa Maria ‘Ad Nives’ (of the snow) was built. The church is usually known as Santa Maria Maggiore.Madonnaneve06

Orsara’s Madonna della Neve statue was carved out of a single piece of quercia (oak) by Napoletano sculptor Aniello Stallato in 1624. I have been familiar with this beautiful sculpture since I was 11, but I had no idea she was almost 400 years old! Here are some photos of the processione!Madonnaneve10

Madonnaneve2MadonnanevestradadirittaMadonnanevearco

Ciao, Cristina

Fucacoste e Cocce Priatorje

01 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by in Culture, Feste, Italian Folklore, Orsara di Puglia, Puglia

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Piazza San Pietro. Photo courtesy of International Photo Correspondent Donato Narducci

Piazza San Pietro. Photo courtesy of International Photo Correspondent Donato Narducci

Tonight is a big festa in Orsara di Puglia, so I am reposting this from last year.

Fucacoste e cocce priatorje is dialetto Orsarese for ‘Falò e teste del Purgatorio’.  This translates to ‘Bonfires and heads from purgatory’. It is an ancient festival unique to Orsara di Puglia celebrated on November 1st, the night of ‘Tutti i Santi’ (All Saints Day).  All Saints Day was created in the 9th century when the Pope superimposed a Christian feast day onto existing rituals, so this festa has been around for a very long time.  It is a night where people have the opportunity to honour, reconnect and pay respect to the spirits of their loved ones.  Carabinieri estimate that the town of 3,000 had 40,000 visitors attend the festa tonight, with 9,000 cars parked up to 3 km away!

2014 poster for Fucacoste e cocce priatorje

2014 poster for Fucacoste e cocce priatorje

It is believed that the souls of the dead return among the living to visit their relatives and their former homes before moving on to Paradiso.  The bonfires are lit with wood and branches of ginestra (broom). The light of the fires and the crackling and sparks of the ginestra attract the spirits to reunite the living with those who continue to live only in their memories.  The souls of the dead loved ones collect ashes from the fires. The gleam of light inside ‘cocce priatorje’, pumpkins carved to look like heads-light their way to find their former home.

Preparation for the  festa involves gathering firewood and ginestra, preparing food and carving zucche (pumpkins).  There is even a BYOZ (bring your own zucca) pumpkin carving workshop.  Later in the evening zucche are exhibited and there is a contest for ‘la zucca più bella’-the best zucca.

In honour of the dead, simple but symbolic foods are prepared.  These include potatoes, onions, salsicce (sausages) and castagne (chestnuts) cooked in open fire. Muscitaglia is a traditional dish served on November 1st which probably dates back from the ancient Greeks and Byzantines. Muscitaglia (moo•shee•tah•lyah) in both Greek and Latin is made up of the words mosto (wine must) and talia (grain). The ingredients include boiled grain and vino cotto (literally cooked wine-also called mosto cotto). Pomegranate seeds and walnut pieces are sometimes added. These ingredients are symbols of fertility and abundance, but also of honour and respect for the dead.

Muscitaglia

Muscitaglia

When the campanile (church bell tower) strikes 1900 hours (7 pm), Orsara di Puglia ‘catches fire’. Over 100 bonfires are simultaneously lit in every street and piazza and remain lit through the night.  The fires, pumpkin lanterns, music and people in the streets create a magical, enchanted atmosphere.

Fucacoste e Cocce Priatorje has often been confused with Hallowe’en, but it is a very different event.  Besides the fact that the date is different, dressing up in costume is not part of the custom, there is nothing scary about it and there are no evil spirits to chase away. It has more similarities with the Mexican Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead.  This is an event about being together in community to celebrate the bond between the living and those who we remember in our hearts, and to remind us that our time on earth is precious.

Watch the video ‘#quinonèhalloween’ featuring 94 year old Z’Gaetan talking about the festa and its significance  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W5RD0-9H-A

Read about tonight’s festa (in Italiano) on the Comune di Orsara di Puglia website.  For more about Orsara di Puglia read the post ‘Benvenuti ad Orsara di Puglia’.  Ci vediamo alla festa!

Fucacoste e Cocce Priatorje, Fontana Sant'Angelo, Orsara di Puglia 2014. Photo courtesy of Donato Narducci

Fucacoste e Cocce Priatorje, Fontana Sant’Angelo, Orsara di Puglia 2014. Photo courtesy of Donato Narducci