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Villa Rental Italy Puglia Featured 2Learn all about the feast of the Madonna of Sovereto in Terlizzi and Sovereto in Puglia, Italy. From carts several stories tall to shepherd boys, you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of the celebration. So pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy the festivities!

Topics we cover:

  • The change in Italian clothing in August
  • The difference between a feast and a festival
  • The story of the Madonna of Sovereto
  • The Knights Templars’ frescos in Sovereto
  • What is a “black Madonna”
  • How oxen played an important part in determining where the Madonna now lives
  • Why the bloody ox still has a prominent place in the feast
  • The difference between a triumphal cart and a float
  • The construction of this massive (5 story tall) cart for the festival
  • How the cart is manually pushed through the town by a group of men
  • Why throwing candy at the kids in the cart isn’t such a nice thing
  • Why they have to put gravel down on one corner
  • How the cart is steered through the town
  • The meat of the feast
  • A special delicacy everyone eats during the feast
  • The other part of the ceremony that takes place on April 23
  • Why the Madonna is also known as the Madonna of the Water
  • Why Steven likes this part of the feast as it’s one giant block party for the whole town of Terlizzi
  • How people refer to their apartments as houses and their stand-alone houses as villas
  • The World War II frescos that were the highlight of this year’s feast for us
  • Popeye, Oliveoil and more that were on the frescos

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Photos of the festival

A special thanks to Maria Pansini. All the black and white photos are hers.

The cart coming down the street.
The cart coming down the street.
The Madonna making her way to the cart.
The Madonna making her way to the cart.
The shepherd who leads the procession.
The shepherd who leads the procession.
Getting ready.
Getting ready.
Chaos in the streets.
Chaos in the streets.
The honor guard steering the cart.
The honor guard steering the cart.
The cart entering the square.
The cart entering the square.
The oxen.
The oxen.
Pushing the cart.
Pushing the cart.
The other part of the festival in April that is one giant block party.
The other part of the festival in April that is one giant block party.
The World War II frescos we saw.
The World War II frescos we saw.
Oliveoil. So fitting to be found in Puglia.
Oliveoil. So fitting to be found in Puglia.
The names on the wall. Anyone know anyone here?
The names on the wall. Anyone know anyone here?

 

A quick video of the feast. Not sure it does it justice.

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Steven
You might think growing up in a small town in Texas wouldn't prepare you to live the Italian lifestyle. But in many ways — the family values, the small town culture, the love of food — is very similar to what you'll find in Italian culture. In fact, I expect it's pretty universal. Having been married to an Italian for 20 years, it's been fun to learn and explore the rich Italian culture and share it with you.