L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano S u m m o n t e i s a v i l l a g e i n t h e province of Avelli- n o ( C a m p a n i a ) gently lying on the slopes of Mount Partenio, at 700 meters of altitude (2,300 feet). Today, it counts 1,485 inhabitants. The village has a long his- tory, as its very name - which is Latin in origin and comes from sub montis, "under the mountain" - attests, but there are also other traces of its important past: first of all its castle, which was first men- tioned in documents from 1094. There, the fortress was described as castello qui dici- t u r S u b m o n t e , " t h e c a s t l e which belongs to Submontis," the original name of the vil- lage. If we look at its architec- t u r e , t i m e i n S u m m o n t e seems to have stopped in the Middle Ages: the majestic castle with its fortification and tower, but also the very layout of the village, with its three main streets and gen- teel buildings, is very remi- niscent of those long-gone a n d s o m e h o w m y s t e r i o u s times. Walking in Summonte is like being on a historical movie set or, if you prefer, like moving into the world of K i n g A r t h u r , Q u e e n G e n e v i e v e , a n d L a n c e l o t . I n d e e d , t r a g i c l o v e a n d romantic drama appear in t h e h i s t o r y o f S u m m o n t e , which was once home to feu- d a l b a r o n e s s F r a n c e s c a Malerba, three times mar- ried, known for her beauty, and at the center of many a love duel. The most characterizing corner of Summonte is its Medieval Tower, known as T o r r e A n g i o i n a , which dominates the valley and the urban center: from here, vis- itors can enjoy wonderful views of the village's sur- r o u n d i n g s a n d , p e r h a p s , they can imagine, for a few seconds, to be princes and princesses living in differ- e n t , m o r e m a g i c a l t i m e s . T h e f i v e - s t o r y , 1 6 - m e t e r (52.5 ft) high building hosts a l s o a p e r m a n e n t e x h i b i t about the Doria family, feu- dal landlords of Summonte in the 16th century. The heart of the village remains, today like centuries ago, its main square, where the Tiglio di Summonte, an almost 300-years old linden tree that majestically domi- nates the urban landscape, stands. It is one of Italy's alberi monumentali, "mon- u m e n t a l t r e e s , " a n d impresses with its 37 meters o f h e i g h t ( 1 2 1 f t ) a n d 9 m e t e r o f c i r c u m f e r e n c e (29.5 ft). From here, visitors can enjoy walks around the ancient borough, which is w e l c o m i n g a n d w e l l - p r e - served, and purely Renais- sance in style and feel. Summonte's patron saint is Saint Nicholas of Bari, who is celebrated on the 6th of December every year. The C h i e s a M a d r e , t h e m a i n church in town, is a baroque b e a u t y d e d i c a t e d t o h i m , j u s t l i k e t h e A r c o d i S a n Nicola, Saint Nicholas' Arch, once the main access gate to the village. I n S u m m o n t e t h e r e i s plenty to do, too. In July e v e r y y e a r , t h e S e n t i e r i M e d i t e r r a n e i f e s t i v a l brings to town famous eth- nic music performers like Noa, Mario Biondi, Yussou N'Dour, and Hevia, artists who participated in previous e d i t i o n s . I f y o u ' d g o f o r something more traditional, t h e n y o u s h o u l d t r y t h e Sagra della Castagna which every October cele- brates this precious fruit. And then, of course, there are the beautiful celebra- tions for Saint Nicholas' D a y i n D e c e m b e r , a m i x b e t w e e n F a i t h , l o r e , a n d heritage. I f y o u e n j o y v i s i t i n g museums, you can visit the Museo Civico di Sum- monte, hosted in the castle and divided into two inter- esting sections. The first, Submontis Medievalia, is dedicated to Medieval and Renaissance weapons used between the end of the 15th a n d t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e 1 6 t h c e n t u r y , b u t i t a l s o includes interesting com- mon objects that soldiers w o u l d c a r r y w i t h t h e m , including table games like tria. The second section is dedicated to the archaeolog- ical artifacts unearthed dur- ing excavations carried out on the castle's grounds. Food is an attraction in itself in Summonte: if you visit in the fall, you should try the traditional chestnut a n d p o r c i n i m u s h r o o m s o u p , a d i s h t h a t b r i n g s together two of the typical products of this area. Here, you can also find mortarelle h a z e l n u t s , b l a c k t r u f f l e s , nocillo liqueur, caciocavallo cheese, honey, and soppres- sata, a type of cured dried sausage typical of the South of Italy. F o r a F e b r a r o c h e m a r s o x é qua, people from V e n e t o s a y : "Let's get rid of February, March is here!" The funny expression is also synonymous with a pop- ular tradition in the region, c a l l e d t h e F o r a F e b r a r o , rooted in the very history of Veneto and, more specifical- ly, in that of the Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia. In the glorious Republic of Venice, the year tradi- tionally began on the first of March, just like it used to be in ancient Rome. The Capo- danno Veneto, celebrated on the 1st of March, was an o f f i c i a l f e s t i v i t y o f t h e Republic, even when eventu- ally the Gregorian Calendar was enforced. Indeed, while the Venetians embraced its u s e , t h e y a l s o r e m a i n e d q u i t e a t t a c h e d t o t h e o l d Julian calendar, so much so that it was common to follow a l l d a t e s w i t h t h e L a t i n phrase more veneto, or "in the style of Veneto," so that p e o p l e c o u l d u n d e r s t a n d whether the document they had in their hands or they were reading was dated fol- lowing the Gregorian or the Venetian (Julian) calendar. So, Venetians knew that if one wrote 14th of February 1702, more veneto, it trans- lated into 14th of February 1703 in the Gregorian Calen- dar, because the new year, old-style, began on the first of March and February still belonged to the old year. T h e c e l e b r a t i o n s o f t h e Capodanno Veneto, in the end, are not different from those of the Roman Capo- danno, in April, or the Chi- nese New Year. In Venice, there was - and is - a connec- t i o n b e t w e e n t h e M a r c h Capodanno, the awakening of nature, and the return of the sun. Fora Febraro is the last vestige of what used to be a very important tradition in the Republic, and it is cele- brated ubiquitously in the r e g i o n , e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e a r e a s o f A s i a g o , T r e v i s o , P a d u a , a n d B a s s a n o d e l Grappa. It is still common, in many areas of Veneto, to cel- ebrate Fora Febraro with large bonfires symbolizing the rebirth of nature after winter and the warmth of the sun. Very famous are the Fora F e b r a r o c e l e b r a t i o n s o f Valdagno, in the province of Vicenza, where the last m o n t h o f f u l l w i n t e r i s "killed" with loud bangs, the schiòchi, produced by mixing water and calcium carbide. Children also participate by walking around the village hitting pots and pans, or by attaching empty soda cans to their bikes. All this noise has a s y m b o l i c m e a n i n g : i t i s believed to scare February away. T r a d i t i o n o f t h e m o n t h : Veneto's Fora Febraro The Fora Febraro celebrations of Valdagno (Vicenza) are well-known (Photo: Francesco Stock/Shutterstock) The Torre Angioina in Summonte (Photo: Diego Capone/Shutterstock) Village of the month: Summonte LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

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