L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano C i s t e r n i n o s i t s c h a r m i n g l y above the Valle d'Itria , almost as if it had set - t l e d t h e r e b y c h a n c e a n d then decided to stay. It lies about 25 miles from Brin- disi, the nearest major city and airport, and not far from p l a c e s l i k e O s t u n i a n d L o c o r o t o n d o , t h o u g h i t f e e l s m o r e s e l f - c o n t a i n e d than any of them. From a distance, it looks like a clus- ter of white shapes pressed together, rising out of olive trees that stretch in every direction; up close, it feels smaller than expected, but also more intricate, almost as if the town had grown by adding one piece at a time, w i t h o u t e v e r f o l l o w i n g a plan. The name itself can tell us something more about the history of the place, which may have started for very practical reasons, as Cistern- ino likely comes from the Latin cisterna, referring to water reservoirs, which were e s s e n t i a l i n a l a n d s c a p e where water was never guar- anteed. Indeed, before mod- ern systems, collecting and storing rainwater was very much necessary if you want- ed to survive, and the town, in a way, carries that memo- r y i n i t s v e r y n a m e . O f course, there are also more adventurous stories, like the one tying the name to a fig- ure called Cisterninus, but these belong more to oral tradition than to document- ed history. Long before it became the place visitors know today, the area was inhabited by the Messapians, and later absorbed into the Roman world. In the Middle Ages, it p a s s e d t h r o u g h d i f f e r e n t hands, including the County of Conversano, and devel- oped as a small agricultural center. That part hasn't real- l y c h a n g e d b e c a u s e e v e n now, the countryside around it – think olive groves, dry stone walls, scattered trulli – feels out of a painting, but a l s o a n e x t e n s i o n o f t h e town itself. Walking through the his- toric center is all about getting into Cisternino's own rhythm: the streets narrow, then open slightly, then nar- row again; there are steps w h e r e y o u d o n ' t e x p e c t them, small balconies, door- ways that seem almost hid- den. Everything is white- washed, not for decoration but to chase away the heat, as white reflects the sun and t h e i n t e r i o r s s t a y c o o l e r . Over time, though, it ended u p b e c o m i n g p a r t o f t h e town's identity, just as it is in Ostuni or in many villages in Greece, something people recognize immediately. At the edge of the old town, spots like Piazza Vittorio E m a n u e l e o p e n u p i n t o wider views, while struc - tures such as the Torre Nor- manno-Sveva and the near- by Chiesa di San Nicola give a sense of the town's long past. Then there's the f o o d , which here is definitely not s o m e t h i n g s e p a r a t e f r o m d a i l y l i f e . C i s t e r n i n o i s k n o w n f o r i t s f o r n e l l i pronti, a way of eating that is both simple and very spe- c i f i c t o t h e p l a c e , a n d o f which we actually wrote a w h i l e b a c k , i n o n e o f o u r articles: you go into a butch- er's shop, choose what you want – sausages, skewers, bombette filled with cheese – and then sit down while it's cooked over charcoal. There's no real ceremony to it, you just eat what you've chosen, often at small tables outside, sometimes stand- i n g , s o m e t i m e s s h a r i n g space with people you don't know. Evenings tend to gather in the same areas, especially in the warmer months. People m o v e s l o w l y t h r o u g h t h e streets, stopping, talking, e a t i n g s o m e t h i n g s m a l l . T h e r e a r e f e s t i v a l s , o f course, mostly tied to reli- gious calendars, with proces- sions, lights, and music, but what stands out more is how naturally the town fills up at night: life moves onto the streets, because nights are balmy and good company just around the corner. Cisternino is special, in its own way; it doesn't try to i m p r e s s t h r o u g h s c a l e o r through major monuments, it just remains itself always, f a i t h f u l t o t h e w a y i t w a s conceived, perhaps with a bit of poetical charm. In Cis- t e r n i n o , y o u d o n ' t r e a l l y "visit" it in the usual sense. You spend time there, and g r a d u a l l y , w i t h o u t m u c h effort, you feel at home. E very year, at that m o m e n t i n Spring when the air starts feeling c o n s i d e r a b l y summery, Cesenatico turns its attention to a category of fish which is quintessentially Mediterranean and quintes- sentially Adriatic, blue fish. Often overlooked in fancy contemporary cuisine, blue fish is among the healthiest sea creatures you can find out there, so no wonder this charming fishing village in Romagna decided to dedi- c a t e a w h o l e f a i r t o i t . Azzurro come il pesce, which takes place at the end of April, transforms Cesen- a t i c o ' s p o r t i n t o a s p a c e where food, local knowledge, and everyday traditions min- gle, and people can enjoy some very good grub. The term pesce azzurro, or blue fish, does not refer to a s i n g l e s p e c i e s b u t t o a g r o u p t h a t i n c l u d e s s a r - dines, anchovies, mack- erel, and similar fish, recog- nizable by their blue-silver coloring. Historically, these w e r e t h e f i s h o f o r d i n a r y h o u s e h o l d s : a f f o r d a b l e , widely available, and nutri- tionally rich. Along the Adri- atic coast, they formed the backbone of a cuisine built on simplicity, where preser- vation techniques and quick c o o k i n g m e t h o d s w e r e essential. During the festival, this h e r i t a g e i s m a d e v i s i b l e again and enjoyed by locals and tourists alike: food stalls line the canal, many of them run by local fishermen or associations, offering deli- cious fish-based dishes, like grilled sardines, marinated anchovies, fried paranza, a n d s i m p l e p a s t a d i s h e s , often prepared with minimal ingredients but packing in m a x i m u m f l a v o r . T h e e m p h a s i s h e r e i s n o t o n reinvention but on continu- i t y , a n d o n s h o w i n g h o w t h e s e f o o d s h a v e b e e n cooked and enjoyed in this corner of the world for the longest time. There is also a broader cultural dimension, though, because the event also serves as a reminder of the eco - nomic and social role that s m a l l - s c a l e f i s h i n g h a s always played in towns like C e s e n a t i c o . I n r e c e n t decades, shifts in consump- t i o n a n d t h e p r e s s u r e o f i n d u s t r i a l f i s h i n g h a v e changed the place of pesce azzurro in the market, often pushing it to the margins in favor of more expensive or fashionable species. The fes- tival, in this sense, works as a form of rebalancing, bring- ing attention back to what has always been local and, q u i t e f r a n k l y , a b s o l u t e l y delicious! Fresh fish on display at a market, reflecting the everyday ingredients behind the A d r i a t i c s e a f o o d t r a d i t i o n s c e l e b r a t e d a t " A z z u r r o c o m e i l p e s c e " ( P h o t o : Inuella365/Dreamstime) In Cesenatico, a festival brings blue fish back to the table Cisternino: between olive trees and stone streets A small square in Cisternino, where people live among whitewashed buildings and narrow streets opening onto the heart of the village (Photo: Dudlajzov/Dreamstime) LIFE PEOPLE REVIEWS ADVICE TRADITIONS

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