L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano storm forced the ship car- rying his remains to stop at M a r a t e a , w h e r e p i o u s locals greeted the relics. Since then, Saint Blaise has been the patron saint of the sea town. Of course, many other Italian towns worship him. Well, I was thrilled to d i s c o v e r t h e S a n B i a g i o relics are up here. I have been cherishing this saint s i n c e m y c h i l d h o o d . M y hometown Milan observes a tradition of eating a slice of stale Christmas panet- tone for breakfast on the day dedicated to St. Blaise, February 3. It's a propitia- tory gesture against throat d i s e a s e s a s S a i n t B l a i s e intercedes in throat illness- es. A Milanese saying goes: " S a n B i a s e l b e n e d i s s l a gola e el nas" – San Biagio protects and blesses your t h r o a t a n d n o s e . O n F e b r u a r y 3 , p r i e s t s would give the blessing by touching the throat of each person with two unlit can- dles blessed the day earlier o n t h e F e a s t t h e Presentation of the Lord. Maratea is a holy little t o w n t h a t c o u n t s 4 4 churches. But its infinite charm stands in its more than 20 beaches along 20 have always felt that way, throughout the country, from north to the south. Italy is a second home to m e , " h e p o i n t e d o u t . "Maybe in my past life, I w a s f r o m s o m e w h e r e around here." Dillon, 57, who has been a quintessential American screen presence since the '80s, showed up with his longtime Italian girlfriend, Roberta Mastromichele, an actress and dancer from Rome. They split their time between Rome and New York. " W h e n e v e r y o u a r e i n the southern part of Italy, you are always on holiday because of the glittering Mediterranean sea, won- derful food, and the people, who are always so kind to me," he said. To Mr. Dillon, Maratea is a dream place. Cesare miles of rocky coastline, p i c t u r e s q u e r o c k y b a y s , and a pristine national park (Il Parco Nazionale del P o l l i n o ) w h e r e g r e y wolves and golden eagles roam. It also benefits from its proximity to Matera, one of the world's oldest cities. Beautiful Maratea has plenty of elegant, gourmet restaurants, but this is also a sea town where you can still eat simple, hearty local dishes at reasonable prices. You can feast off a style of c u i s i n e t h a t h a s n o t changed in centuries. I love specialties typical of the Mediterranean scrub that combine products from the sea and the land: strawber- r i e s , a p r i c o t s , o l i v e s , a u b e r g i n e s , b e a n s , a n d f i s h . T h e l o c a l m e n u includes crunchy peppers, "luganega" sausage, "cacio- cavallo" cheese, spaghetti w i t h c o u r g e t t e s - " a l l a scapece" - and "zeppole" as dessert. "I love Maratea and love Italy," said American actor a n d f i l m d i r e c t o r M a t t Dillon a couple of weeks a g o a t M a r a t e a ' s H o t e l Santavenere, where he was a w a r d e d T h e International Basilicata Prize from the Marateale C i n e m a F e s t i v a l t h a t takes place annually. "I feel really at home here. And I P a v e s e , a g r e a t I t a l i a n n o v e l i s t , f e l t t h e s a m e about this sea town: "There is no other place I know that is as rich as this one," he wrote in a novella set in M a r a t e a e n t i t l e d T h e B e a c h , t h e G r e a t F i r e . "There is something about Maratea: the colors, the salubrious air, the land- s c a p e s o c o m b i n e d . B u t above all, those primordial colors... ". Black pebbles from a Maratea beach (Photo: Sergio Pazzano/Dreamstime) Continued from page 20 The charming little port of Maratea (Photo: Laudibi/Dreamstime) ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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