Meta is often known as a smaller town to Sorrento with beautiful beaches, but I got to see a glimpse into the authentic culture of the locals in Meta and it truly is much more than that.
Every September, the town of Meta, which lies three towns north of Sorrento, celebrates its patron saint and protector of the seafarers, La Madonna del Lauro.
When Faith combines with Legend
This celebration honors the Madonna whose legends date back to the 8th century during the Byzantine period.
Back when Meta was just woodland, a blind and deaf woman saw a flame near a laurel (lauro) tree and was surprised to find the statue of the Madonna underneath it.
This woman miraculously regained her senses of sight and hearing from this experience.
Soon after this miracle, the statue was transported to the Bishop of Sorrento’s Cathedral, but the statue suddenly disappeared.
It was found again under the laurel tree which continued to occur two more times until it was finally left in Meta where it has since been titled “Our Lady of Lauro.”
Meta civilians hold the Madonna of Lauro and the Basilica of Santa Maria of Lauro in high regard due to her miracles and the protection she casts over the seafaring community.
Experiencing an Italian Festival
My experience attending this celebration was like stepping away from the typical tourism of the Sorrentine area and into the heart of local Southern Italian tradition.
I brought two of my friends that I am studying at Sant’Anna Institute with, and we caught a quick train ride over to Meta.
On the walk down to the beach where the festival is held, we captured its beauty from above.
I was shocked to see that the festival resembled an American festival with neon lights, games, street food, and even inflatable Mario Brothers characters.
After a deeper look into the festival, I realized that it was far from that as almost everyone I spoke to did not speak English, which made it even more special.
I was able to use the little Italian that I know to talk to the street vendors and get our tickets for the night.
Italian Street Food
There were twenty-one local food stands selling food that represented the town.
One ticket was 15 euro and included two primo-piatti, two secondo-piatti, one vino, one cafe or limoncello, and one “graffa” (a typical local dessert).
This allowed us to try fried pasta balls, Mediterranean shrimp and rice, swordfish, tuna, a type of Italian donut, local wine, and limoncello!
These are foods that I would not have typically tried if not for this experience and I enjoyed all of them, so I am glad I got the opportunity!
Attending The Festival of The Madonna of Lauro made me feel like I was living the life of a local Italian, which is a much different life than that of a tourist or a student like me.
The food vendors were very passionate about the food they were serving, and the festival goers would all eat their food at large tables together, even if they did not know each other.
The energy was very uplifting and I felt very fortunate to be a part of such an important local event!
After we returned to Sorrento from the festival, the magic of Meta and the Madonna of Lauro was still alive as we watched the breathtaking firework display over the Bay of Naples.
This was the perfect cap for a wonderful celebration that taught me so much about the local area where I am living for the semester.
Ciao!
Emma
