halloween Archivi - Charme

Fontanelle cemetery, so Naples honours the ‘anime pezzentelle’

Charme — Sat, 01 Nov 2014 09:46:30 +0000

Forget Halloween. Forget the ancient pagan festival of Celtic origin dedicated to “all the dead” who return to earth, widespread in the United States by Irish immigrants and then landed in Italy, in its most banal and commercial aspect. Give up, for a moment, the costume parade, pumpkins and colourful games for children, who run from house to house, shouting ‘trick or treat’. I do not belong there. That is not the result of our history. So, enjoy the dear old ‘feast of the dead’, which falls on November 2. Brought forth as a Christian tradition, it later became a cult of the Bourbons in Naples, with the nougat of deaths and visits to the grave of the deceased.

So, what better way to honour the anniversary with an excursion to the famous ‘Valley of the Dead’? An unusual journey through the alleys and streets of the Sanità district of Naples. In “Cemiteru of the Fontanelle”, better known in town as the graveyard of the “death’shead”, or “pezzentelle souls”.[charme-gallery]

A pit dug in the heart of the tuff stone, in which the remains of thousands and thousands of people lay, victims of the plague that scourged Naples in 1656, but also of the cholera epidemic in 1836. Walking through bones and skeletons, in a surprising reality in which the sacred and the profane, magic and religion are intertwined and confused from time to time, you can discover the special relationship that has always been linked to the concept of Parthenope ‘beyond’.

This is also the place to get acquainted with famous people, from Capitano to Donna Concetta, from Don Pasquale to the newlyweds, just to mention some of the ‘dead’, which here rest in the sleep of the just and now give life to stories and folktales that with lightness and a hint of bitter irony always describe the soul and character of a people able to transform even the most dramatic events in opportunities for redemption and spirituality. (translated by Mauro Di Fenza)

The “Cemitery of the Fontanelle”
Via Fontanelle, Naples 80
Monday to Sunday: Hours 10 am -5 pm
Info: +39.081.19703197

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Medieval atmosphere and dark for a Halloween scare at Pietramelara

Charme — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 15:21:15 +0000

The town of Caserta, Pietramelara for Halloween night turns into a mysterious and evocative magic cave.
On 31 October sees the fourth edition of “Terror in the village”, the play key on the horror that promises great emotions.
The show, organized by the City of Pietramelara and the agency The White Rabbit, aims to promote and enhance the many cultural and tourist attractions, its the town that rises on the northern slopes of Mount Major.
The tour will begin at 19:00 and lasts until 24:00 and will revolve around a story on the theme strictly scary, and that will be the theme to the entire route will be full of interesting stops.

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Recall that during the visit to the village of pre-Roman origin, founded by Landulf and Adenolfo, Lombard princes in the early Middle Ages, it will be possible to admire the monuments of greatest importance, what are the medieval village, the Doge’s Palace, the Church of San Rocco, famous for its wooden doorway carved entirely by hand and a wooden statue of San Rocco ‘700, and yet the Church of the Annunciation which has frescoes depicting the four Major Prophets, which were attributed to the school of Giorgione, for do not forget the ex-convent of San Pasquale, the former Augustinian convent now the town hall, which you can admire the monks’ cells, all renovated and well maintained with the adjoining garden.
So you just have to take part in quest’imperdibile initiative which promises to be a guaranteed success, if only you think that there will be over 70 actors involved in the event and this year, in fact, there has been a remarkable boom of participants.

“Terror in the village”
Village of Pietramelara, Pietramelara
October 31, 2014
From 19.00 to 24.00
For more information: 3271233784; 38942727189

L'articolo Medieval atmosphere and dark for a Halloween scare at Pietramelara proviene da Charme.

All Souls’ Day, tour with witches at San Martino

Giorgio Gradogna — Sun, 13 Oct 2013 13:00:08 +0000

Two witches meet at the Monastery of San Martino in Naples to celebrate their All Souls’ Day. One comes from America and celebrates Halloween; the other comes for the Vesuvius and worships the cult of the dead and the poor souls. This is the scene of a humorous quarrel, which puts children in contact with the history of art and the history of Naples in one of its most important monuments: the museum and the Monastery of San Martino. “What is Halloween?” is the new animated guided tour characterised with entertainment, mainly conceived to make kids fall in love with the history and traditions of Naples: a way to learn by having fun.

What happens if on All Souls’ Day an American witch comes to visit a Neapolitan relative of hers? Lightning, thunders and thunderbolts! Grimilde arrives from the USA with all of the equipment of pumpkins, skeletons and black cats to celebrate her Halloween the American way. The bewitched Amelia comes down from the Vesuvius with an inventory of horns, amulets and skulls to celebrate her poor souls. Eager to introduce the amenities of the city, Amelia takes Grimilde ‘onto’ Vomero, an uphill quarter, to show her the breathless view, which can be enjoyed from the Monastery of San Martino. It is right there, in the wonderful scenery of the monastery, that the two witches engage a ‘crackling’ spat: each concentrated on celebrating their ‘Feast of the Dead’. Who will win? Only who follows the entertaining tease between two witches will know how it ends.

This is the singular and unique series of guided tours organised by Itinera at the Monastery of San Martino, Friday the 1^st and Sunday the 3^rd of November (two visits a day, 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.), to discover the Neapolitan and foreign folkloristic traditions on All Souls’ Day. The church and the Sacristy of the Monastery, the big cloister and the rooms with the collections of Neapolitan cribs will be visited.

Reservation is mandatory, max. 60 attendees per visit.
Email the number of adults and children, mobile phone to: info@itineranapoli.com.

(translated by Mauro Di Fenza)

L'articolo All Souls’ Day, tour with witches at San Martino proviene da Charme.