Looking back
I’ve now been in Sorrento for 7 weeks! This time flew by, I can’t believe it’s already been almost 2 months.
As I take time now to reflect on how this first half of the semester has been, I’m realizing just how much I’ve learned about Sorrento and how much more there is to see!
Simply looking through my camera roll, I see so much beauty: both in the views and in the community Sorrento has to offer.
Having this internship has been great at pushing me out of my comfort zone in a good way, allowing me to discover new places and attend events that I might not have had the courage to go to by myself if I didn’t have a mission to write about it.
This immersion into Italian culture has been a great way to become more familiar with Sorrento.
The classes I’m taking at Sant’Anna Institute focus on Italian history and language and have definitely helped my knowledge of Italian culture grow, but there is something different about walking out into the streets of Sorrento and experiencing it for myself.
One of the first traditions I had the privilege of experiencing was for Sorrento’s patron saint, Sant’Antonino.
This was when I began to notice the feeling of community created when so many people come together to celebrate, and I got to be a part of it.
The parade in particular was so different than anything I had seen before and it was a truly insightful look into how a town’s patron saint is honored.
The second festival and parade I was able to see was for Carnevale and this had an entirely different feeling.
This parade, rather than feeling solemn and honoring, was a celebration that seemed to be aimed towards children, bringing fun, familiar characters down the streets as people threw confetti and sprayed each other with silly string.
Attending this, I was amongst families and many children in costumes, reminding me of Halloween parades and celebrations I had seen in the US.
Although at times I’ve felt a bit out of place, I’ve loved getting to experience pieces of Sorrento’s local traditions firsthand!
Being able to explore places in and around Sorrento has been a blast, seeing new sights and experiencing new foods, culture, and history!
Being in Italy really does feel like there is a piece of history on every corner.
From Sorrento, it is also fairly simple to visit other places and I’ve had so much fun going by train and bus to other places in Italy like Pompeii, Naples, and Rome.
But it’s always nice at the end of these trips getting to return to lovely Sorrento!
The opportunity to capture Sorrento in writing and images for About Sorrento has been a splendid way to reflect and share about what I have seen throughout my time here in Sorrento!
Looking Forward
As winter ends and spring begins, there are some exciting traditions in Sorrento to look forward to!
The biggest ones are the processions of Holy Week.
Since arriving in Sorrento, I’ve heard from multiple people about these traditional processions, and I’m looking forward to finally experiencing them for myself.
These processions occur on Holy Thursday and Good Friday.
As they are leading up to Easter, they represent the Passion of Christ.
La Processione Bianca dell’Addolorata, The White Procession of Our Lady of Sorrows represents the search by Mary, Jesus’ mother for her captured son.
It is called the White Procession in reference to the color of the robes and hoods worn by those in the procession.
La Processione del Cristo Morto, the Procession of the Dead Christ. As the name suggests, this solemn procession includes a statue of the dead Christ.
Like the White Procession, this procession is called the Black Procession due to the color of the robes and hoods worn.
In addition to these processions, I’m looking forward to the other traditional aspects of Holy Week, in particular the food!
Palme di confetti, confetti palms are sugar coated almonds arranged to look like branches and flowers and are gifted to friends and family.
Pastiera Napoletana is a traditional pastry from Naples made with ricotta cheese, cooked wheat, sugar, eggs, milk, and orange blossom water.
Casatiello, Easter bread comes in sweet and savory varieties.
The savory casatiello has ham, cheese, salami, and black pepper.
This bread is in a circular shape which references the crown of thorns placed on Jesus’ head.
Neapolitan tortano is this savory Easter bread but has whole eggs on top, as symbols of life.
I’m looking forward to seeing these processions and trying these foods and writing about them, and in just a few weeks you’ll be able to read about my experience!
Ciao!
Justine