L'Italo-Americano

talking about two skeletons, one of a man and one of a woman, with perfectly pre- served veins and arteries. Seeing them can put an end to your dreams of becoming a doctor, as they are believed to be a bad omen for medical students. Time to leave university and dive into the world of l o v e . A l w a y s i n N a p l e s , people believe you should never bring your significant other to the Certosa di San Martino, on the Vomero hill. Apparently, it all has to do with Saint Martin himself, who is the patron saint of … betrayed husbands. The con- nection is not immediately clear, but if you think that, once upon a time, his feast, the 11th of November, was known for being dedicated to cattle fairs - read: many horned animals around - the mystery begins to unravel. comes from the fact the stat- ue holds her spear upside down, perhaps a symbol of b a d l u c k . H o w e v e r , w e s h o u l d n o t e t h a t n o o n e knows why the spear is in that position: some believe it was a mistake, others that it wants to symbolize the vic- tory of wisdom over war and violence. If you study at La S a p i e n z a i n R o m e , y o u should fear Minerva's eyes, too: legends say that if you s t a r e a t t h e s t a t u e o f t h e ancient goddess adorning t h e u n i v e r s i t y ' s m a i n entrance, bang! You'll fail your exams. Let us move to mysterious a n d b e a u t i f u l N a p l e s , w h e r e M e d i c i n e s t u d e n t s should never visit the Cap- pella di San Severo, home t o t h e " a n a t o m i c a l m a c h i n e s " c r e a t e d i n t h e 18th century for Prince Rai- mondo di Sangro: we are Add to it that we Italians call a cuckold cornuto ("horned one"), and les jeux sont faits. I n t h e c r y p t o f S a i n t Nicholas Cathedral in Bari, Apulia, there is a red marble column believed not only to have healing properties but also to help single women find a husband and married ones become pregnant. All y o u n e e d t o d o i s w a l k a r o u n d t h e c o l u m n t h r e e t i m e s o n S a i n t N i c h o l a s ' feast day, the 6th of Decem- ber. There is one last bizarre r i t u a l w e I t a l i a n s f o l l o w : waving at sheep. If we come across a flock, we always say "hi" to animals because it's supposed to attract money. The habit, it seems, is very ancient and it likely comes from times when our coun- t r y w a s l a r g e l y r u r a l a n d owning animals was associ- ated with "wealth." close to an exam, and those i n S i e n a s h o u l d a v o i d climbing up the Torre del Mangia. What's the connec- tion between towers (the Mole could be considered o n e , t o o ) a n d u n i v e r s i t y catastrophe? I don't know, but it's certainly something I'd like to look into, even if my uni days are sadly over. I n B o l o g n a , y o u s h o u l d n e v e r c r o s s P i a z z a M a g - giore, the city's main square, diagonally if you care about your college career, and in P a d u a you should never jump over the chain in front of Palazzo Bo, one of the university's buildings. In Pavia, things get a bit more … e e r i e . H e r e , s t u d e n t s should never look into the eyes of a 1939 bronze statue of Minerva, the goddess of w i s d o m , k n o w l e d g e , a n d war, or they'll fail miserably in college. Some say it all THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano T elling an Italian not to be super- stitious is a los- ing game. Even when we gener- a l l y d o n ' t b e l i e v e i n o l d - fashioned tales of misfor- tune and malocchio, I can guarantee you we probably s t i l l a v o i d o p e n i n g a n umbrella indoors and wince in horror if a mirror breaks. I mean, "io non ci credo ma" it's always seven years of bad luck, they say... Evil eye and superstition aside, the truth is that many o f t h e s e p e c u l i a r a n d , t o non-Italians certainly odd, habits have deep cultural and historical roots. They are part of the country's her- itage and lore. Every place has a special ritual, one everyone follows even if they don't believe it. If you are in a f a m o u s c i t y l i k e R o m e , c h a n c e s a r e t h a t e v e n t o u r i s t s i n d u l g e i n t h e s e s t r a n g e p r o p i t i a t o r y - o r protective - rites: how many non-Romans have thrown a coin in the Trevi Fountain, or tried the Mouth of Truth in the portico of Santa Maria in Cosmedin? The answer is, for both, hundreds of thou- sands, millions even. Those above are popular and well-known examples, b u t t h e r e a r e m a n y m o r e around the country: from things to do and not to do if y o u w a n t t o g r a d u a t e , t o places you shouldn't bring your significant other lest you are cheated on within the year, rest assured there is something odd to do - or not to do - everywhere you go. U n i v e r s i t y s t u d e n t s around Italy need to be par- t i c u l a r l y c a r e f u l b e c a u s e simple acts like sightseeing or walking across a square can result in terrible conse- q u e n c e s . I n T u r i n , f o r instance, the iconic Mole Antonelliana is a no-no for young academics still work- ing towards their bachelor's degree: according to local lore, if you dare climb its 650 steps and reach its top, you can kiss goodbye to your laurea. Funnily enough, the connection between special local landmarks and bad col- l e g e r e s u l t s i s c o m m o n across the country. Students at Pisa's universities, for instance, know they should- n't visit the famous leaning tower, especially if they are CHIARA D'ALESSIO LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE How strange is this? Quirky rituals and habits around the Belpaese A lot of the strangest rituals in Italy have to do with… graduation! (Photo: Toniki)

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