Local Traditions   

The Madonna of Ricotta returns to Pietracatella

“In Antioch at unspecified times earlier than the 14th century there was an image of the Virgin Mary. It was subsequently transferred to Constantinople, into the magnificent shrine commissioned by the virgin Pulcheria - a member of the Emperor’s family - in thanksgiving for the success over the heretical Nestorians during the Council of Ephesus. Exiled Emperor Baldwin took to Naples just the head of the image, already venerated in those times and known for its miracles. It then belonged to Catherine II of Valois who donated it in 1310 to the Montevergine shrine. From Constantinople the devotion of this image took root in Montevergine and spread over time to the nearby dioceses, including Pietracatella.”

 The above details regarding the devotion of the Virgin Mary of Constantinople can be found in a 1957 booklet, edited by the Confraternity. It would be interesting to study in depth the origins and diffusion in the south of Italy of the said devotion. However, here the focus is on a specific tradition as part of the devotion to the Virgin of Constantinople. This tradition has more to do with the economy of Pietracatella, which combines raising livestock and growing crops, than with the complicated historical events of Byzantium. Not much is known about either the origins or the connotations of the devotion acquired over the centuries. Nonetheless, the Virgin Mary of Constantinople festival had and still has distinguishing characteristics. In fact, given its particular nature and cultural interest it is the only religious festival held in Pietracatella to receive funds from the Province of Campobasso.

Aspects such as rituals during the days preceding the official celebrations, the high attendance by residents and non-residents of Pietracatella alike, and several characteristics of the long procession make this festival anthropologically interesting and meaningful. Of the celebration’s main aspects, one is of particular interest: cheese and ricotta making. The Virgin Mary of Constantinople is in fact also known as the Madonna della ricotta.

In past times, on the day of the festival the cheese and ricotta made with sheep’s milk was distributed free of charge among the population. The milk used was from the flocks that grazed in the addiaccio on the lands endowed to the Virgin Mary. At this point we can focus on the meaning of addiaccio and the importance of cheese-making for Pietracatella.

These two elements were an integral part of the village’s social and economic life. The fact they are so deeply rooted in the local religious tradition testifies to the crucial impact of sheep farming. In short, it is essential to identify in sheep farming the foundation from which derives the peculiarity of the said devotion to the Virgin Mary.

What is the addiaccio? The word derives from Latin and means ‘lay on’. The addiaccio is an enclosed space on lands where flocks are kept to graze mainly to produce manure. Until the beginning of the century chemical fertilizers were unknown in Pietracatella and rare throughout Molise. Animal dung was therefore the only way to fertilize fields.

Galanti, a scholar of the second half of the eighteenth century, described the way lands were used in Molise. He wrote: “Fields treated with sheep manure produce twice or three times more. The manure causes fermentation. The custom of burning stubble, though useful to break up the soil, is not sufficient. Manure, being more nourishing is more productive. It is not necessary to dispose of sheep manure. Here [in Pietracatella] it is used when available and fields produce twelve and sometimes twenty times more. This year in Pietracatella a farmer using sheep manure has obtained twenty-five in one case.”

The custom of the addiaccio was therefore essential for farmers. Once their flocks were reunited, farmers took turns to leave them grazing on the fields. It seems that in certain areas of Molise the addiaccio was reserved only for goats. It was not the case of Pietracatella: here flocks consisted of sheep and a small number of goats.

Although fertilization was the main objective of such a practice, there were other advantages for the farmers. The field’s owner or the shepherd kept for himself the cheese made with the milk the flock produced while in the addiaccio. Being able to keep the cheese was probably important if we consider sheep-farming was basically undertaken at subsistence level at that time. A third factor, no less significant than the other two, can be added to understand the value of this practice: time spent in the addiaccio was also used for reproduction purposes.

Going back to the devotion of the Virgin Mary of Constantinople and the characteristics typical of Pietracatella, local farmers here gave a religious and charitable meaning to the addiaccio and the related cheese-making, choosing the most heartfelt and popular village festival. Flocks were left to graze on the fields dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the resulting diary produce was given to charity. Dairy farming was and remains a fundamental asset for the village’s agricultural economy.

In 1790 Longano wrote: “The cheese made in Pietracatella is one of the best in the Province. Change the farmer and the ricotta will not be the same. Its quality is not only due to the grass but also to the experience of its maker. The cheese produced in Pietracatella leaves the Province whereas the cheese of Monacilioni, Sant’Elia, Celenza, Riccia and Jelsi, though all near to Pietracatella, cannot be bartered away even in their own villages. In full, I tend not to praise one more than the other.”

And in 1804 Giustiniani wrote: “In Pietracatella there are excellent pastures, therefore the cheeses produced are the most delicious and the most liked by other peoples of the Kingdom.”

Certainly the situation so far outlined covers the traditions customary in Pietracatella in the 18th and 19th centuries and their subsequent religious transference.

Referring again to the devotion of the Virgin Mary and its development over time, it is clear how it has remained linked to the economic and social structure of Pietracatella. Even though nowadays the addiaccio is not practiced in the village, small and medium farming businesses and the resulting dairy produce are still part of the local economy.

From the first post-war period to the 1970s, the production of cheese in honour of the Virgin Mary was suspended. There are many reasons for this long interruption and they vary according to the decade. More likely the two world wars put on hold all celebrations and related customs. The village was left impoverished and exhausted, and therefore without means to organize the charitable distribution of cheeses. Later, the so-called ‘modernism’ of the post-war period affected also the Madonna della ricotta festival. From the 1960s due to emigration towards industrialized towns the number of farmers decreased and as a result domestic production of many specialities dropped. At the beginning of the 1980s a renewed interest in local traditions and products contributed to resuming the dairy farming in honour of the Virgin Mary. Today the cheese and ricotta are made of goat’s milk mixed with cow’s milk, all donated by the local farmers.

Hence in the last few years, for the festival there has been a revival of ‘collective’ curdling. A few days before the official celebrations, the village housewives get together and start curdling the milk in front of the many tourists. But a question arises at this point. In reviving this tradition is there still evidence of the famous original structure of curdling cheese in honour of the Virgin Mary or is just a revival or nostalgia for past customs? To answer this it is necessary to look at the current economic and social context of Pietracatella. Considering the population, apart from the presence of a middle and lower middle class, the majority of those aged over fifty are still farmers.

 Notwithstanding the middle class status and occupations, the ‘field’ remains a stable point of reference for the residents of Pietracatella. In fact it is quite common for the local families to be landowners. Agriculture is still a reality in Pietracatella: growing crops and raising livestock integrate each other. Milk production and dairy farming are still part of the local economy. Yet there has been a slowing down in the agriculture organization along with sheep farming and its related produce due to the interference of other activities.

A trend beginning in the past decade is the active contribution of a local group of young people. As will be shown later, their attention is increasingly focused on promoting the ‘vocations’ typical of the local agriculture and sheep farming activities. One aspect concerns a renewed attention and awareness of traditions and folklore. There is a willingness not only to revive old traditions or recall the past through village fairs - notwithstanding their popularity they remain fairs - but also to know the past, to identify those elements of individual and collective history that in fact defines us as a community, giving us a distinctive identity that could be lost.

Another important aspect to highlight regards the expectations of creating local jobs, especially for the young. With awareness and objective assessment of our country’s future economic development, many have come to the conclusion that more effort should be made to launch the economy of the South without destroying its identity. This implies making the most of all our natural resources, and in the specific case of Pietracatella, it means promoting its agricultural produce and/or farming, with its excellent quality, known of since ancient times. So, might it perhaps be a good opportunity to transform the fields belonging to the Confraternity - and not only those - into grazing lands and continue the dairy farming as handed down from the tradition of the Madonna della ricotta, that is to say a coherent activity as an expression of an entire community?

Antonella Angiolillo, Antonio Giorgio - APA Campobasso