June 2010 News and Events.htm

News and Events ~ June 2010

News from the Society:

The New Craco Society Logo

This month we announce the newly adopted Craco Society logo. The logo contains many symbolic features that were chosen to represent and convey the rich history of Craco that the Society seeks to preserve.
The most obvious feature is the iconic and unmistakable silhouette of Craco Vecchio. As the central feature of the logo, it clearly reflects the focus of the Society. With the thousand year old Norman Tower to the right and the steeple of the church of San Nicola Vescova (La Chiesa Madre) the history of the town is symbolically bracketed.
The outline of the buildings in the logo are edged in a golden hue symbolic of the town’s original name, Monte d’Oro (golden mountain) and of the harvests of golden grain that supported the town for a millennium and a half.
The buildings and hillside are an earthen hue representing the soil that sustained the population but would ultimately give way, undermining the existence of the town. Below the hillside the green hue is symbolic of the agricultural culture that dominated the town’s history and also reflects the verdant rolling vistas of the surrounding valleys and hillsides visible from Craco.
Overhead is the turquoise blue sky that surrounded the town and is also the color associated with the town’s patron saint San Vincenzo, Martire.
The logo’s round shape symbolizes the global nature of the Society’s membership; also as a circle it is the purest, most common, and profound natural shape, without a beginning or an end, eternal — just as Craco is.
The logo will now appear on all Society publications and will be used in other appropriate situations.
It will make its next appearance as it travels to Craco at the end of this month on the Society’s trip to Craco and Basilicata. The 23 travelers will each carry a travel tote bag with the logo on it as they cross the Atlantic and make their way back to Craco - the reverse of the trip their ancestors took to North America decades ago.
Members who would like to have the logo embossed tote bag can order them directly from the Society’s online store at Café Press. In the following months the logo will be applied to other items so members will have access to memento items.
Meanwhile, we wish our group a safe an pleasant trip to Craco as they carry our new logo there.
Buon viaggio!

Society News

The beautifully bound English language translation of Ommago alla Stella, is being finalized and proofed in preparation for its release in conjunction with the Craco Society's August reunion.
The release date and reunion coincide with the celebration of the feast of the Madonna della Stella in Craco.
This book provides the background and story behind the fervent devotion to this Madonna in Craco.
Also, Craco's patron saint, San Vincenzo is in need of attention. D’Ambrosio Ecclesiastical Art Studio made an initial evaluation of the condition of the San Vincenzo statue and relic at St. Joseph’s Church in Manhattan. The 109 year old statue is showing signs of deterioration, as does the relic dating from 1769.
A further evaluation is being scheduled to complete the assessment and to prepare a comprehensive report about any preservation or repairs that may be needed.

Members in the News

Stephen LaRocca, a Society member and the President of the San Rocco Society of Potenza, was recently interviewed on the Centanni Broadcasting Network, a bicoastal internet radio network in New York and Los Angeles.
During the hour long broadcast Stephen provided the history of San Rocco and the Italian immigrant experience in Lower Manhattan along with other insights.
You can listen to the broadcast archive by clicking here: Stephen LaRocca Interview and then click on “The Valerie and Betty Show 5/5/2010.”
Stephen’s interview occurs during the second half of the show. This adds to the other recognitions of his passion and dedication for the preservation of Italian immigrant culture and tradition in New York City.

Our Fourth Annual Reunion

The Society’s Reunion in Upstate New York, accessible to the Metro New York area, is coming up quickly.
There is a historical connection between the Crachesi who lived in New York City and the Catskill Mountain area. The area was a popular summer resort site for post-WWII Crachesi seeking to get away from the heat of the City. The many Italian-owned guest houses catered to families who could reach them after a short drive.
Serving family style meals and offering a relaxed rural environment many became popular sites for fall hunting trips or foraging expeditions for mushrooms. The Villa Roma, our Reunion site is one of those that still exists and continues to be popular.
You can download our brochure by clicking here or on the postcard above. You can also visit Villa Roma's website. Make your plans to attend soon!

Virtual Craco

With the introduction of the logo featuring the silhouette of Craco, members might want to take a trip back to Craco Vecchio and take a virtual tour of the town as it appeared before the Frana.
The Society website has a unique rendering of the town as it looked over 50 years ago. This virtual tour of the town, developed with over 400 hours of input by volunteers, allows viewers to tour through the town and even see inside buildings.
There are also old photographs of the town with current photos of some of the same locations and a map identifying the key features on it. This unique view of the town is an important element in the Society’s mission to preserve the history of the town.
We believe this is the only means that provides an interactive view of Craco Vecchio. You are invited to take the tour by clicking here, or on the tool bar located above on the left.

June in Craco Vecchio

June was a busy month in Craco Vecchio. The population, moving to the rhythm of the seasons needed to address a significant agricultural milestone and planned the celebration of a church event.
In the fields there was much hard work that had to be done because the grain harvest was ready. Using only hand tools and with only the aid of donkeys or mules, everyone contributed. This timeless process was repeated for hundreds of years. Scenes from the late 1960’s harvesting process can be seen in the Society's DVD Craco: Visits through Time.
Starting with the cutting down of the sheaves of the wheat they were then tied in bundles. The bundles then were gathered and transported to a location where it would be set aside to be threshed in July.
The land also provided a reward that could be consumed in June. The first figs called “Fioroni or culummë” ripened and were ready to be picked. The fig tree has two crops; the first (fiorini) are bigger and not as sweet and flavorful as the later ripening figs. Also, their skin tends to be tougher and thicker than those that come out later in the season. These are not as juicy or syrupy as the settembrini (autumn figs) that come out in the second crop later in the year.
At mid-month, on June 13 the Church and the townspeople celebrated the feast of St. Anthony. The children were dressed in a monk’s cloak as a devotion to St. Anthony. Small loaves of bread, “St. Anthony’s Bread,” were baked and taken to the church to have them blessed, then they were given away to the poor.
Saint Anthony of Padua was born in Portugal and became a follower of St. Francis of Assisi, spending his ministry in Italy. He performed several miracles involving children and was involved in an apportion with the infant Jesus. He died on June 13, 1231. Tradition holds on the day of his death the children in the streets of the city of Padua were crying: "The saint is dead, Anthony is dead." He was canonized within a year of his death.
The city of Padua began building a large cathedral to honor him and in 1263, a child drowned near the construction site. The child’s mother besought St. Anthony and promised that if her child were restored to life, she would give to the poor an amount of wheat equal to the weight of her child. Of course the child was saved, and her promise was kept creating the custom of "St. Anthony's Bread."
There is the widespread tradition of placing children under his protection right from birth. From this custom followed the tradition of dressing children in a little Franciscan habit to thank the Saint for his protection and to make it known to others.

Click here to view A Year in Craco. Events in Craco for every month are listed. Thank you to Joe Rinaldi in Canada for his contribution to this page.

Welcome About Us News/Events History Genealogy Photo Album Media Recipes

Join Us! Exclusives Related Links Message Board Contact Us