A Chiming Local Tradition - Vasto
Vasto, Italy
We celebrated till late last night. August 15, Ferragosto, is the culmination of the summer season in Italy. It’s a public holiday, one of the most important of the year, and even Umberto took a day off and put on the bathing suit. We spent the entire day on the beach, sunbathing, hanging out with friends, and of course - this is Italy - eating and drinking and being merry. Then, went out in the city in the evening.
That was fun but today is my favorite day of the year in Vasto. August 16 is a local holiday, the day of the “bell festival”, Sagra della Campanella di San Rocco. Many small businesses are closed on this day, but this year it falls on a Sunday so you cannot really tell the difference.
Even if it was a short night, we headed to the historic city center first thing in the morning. We knew what to expect, it’s the same every year. Piazza Rossetti, Vasto’s central square is packed with stalls selling little ceramic bells. Hundreds and hundreds of chiming little bells. It’s crowded, people are perusing the selection of bells on offer, and cheerful chattering fills the air. A choir is singing traditional Abruzzese music.
What’s the origin of this festival?
August 16 is the day of San Rocco, a Catholic saint venerated as the protector against contagious diseases. He also happens to be the patron saint of several other things, such as dogs, invalids, falsely accused people, pilgrims and travelers. A French nobleman turned into a pilgrim, San Rocco is famed for miraculously healing plague victims. During the Great Plague in the 14th century, he would roam from town to town helping the sick. He would carry a bell at the end of a stick to alert townspeople about his presence.
Vasto is of course not the only city celebrating San Rocco. Our festival was created in the 1960’s as tourism was growing in the area, and the selected date falls appropriately on the day of the Saint that also protects travelers.
A sagra in Italy is a local festival, typically celebrating a food or a saint or a combination of the two. Many of them are organized in August when people are on vacation and the weather allows big outdoors events. The most popular ones get very crowded, and there’s live music, eating and drinking till late at night. Lots of fun and local flavor, in other words!
Why do I love this day?
I’ve loved the bell festival ever since I first experienced it. There’s something uniquely charming about the atmosphere in Piazza Rossetti this day. It’s an event that everybody in Vasto knows and appreciates, which creates a sense of community and belonging. Also, being the day after Ferragosto, San Rocco extends the celebration of summer to a two-day spectacle.
Furthermore, Umberto and I have created a romantic little tradition for San Rocco. Every August 16, my husband buys me a bell (or two), to mark another year we’re together. I wish that in year one, we had started writing the year inside each bell. There are so many on the kitchen window sill now that we cannot possibly remember. Oh well, the important thing is that they are there. And that the number keeps growing.
Not only bells but fireworks, too!
The day’s festivities are not limited to the historic city center. Tonight, a bit before midnight, we’ll walk down to the beach again, to see the Adriatic sky lit by fireworks. Then tomorrow, we’ll start moving towards autumn…but let’s not think about that just yet. We still have many lovely summer days left.
The city council organized a splendid fireworks show. This photo was added the morning after publishing this blog post.