For those who love to travel and rediscover genuine flavours, Ramacca is an ideal place.
There are not many tourist attractions besides the archaeological park and the museum ... but what fantastic festivals and religious holidays!
They attract many tourists every year, especially the Artichoke Festival.
For two weekends, usually late March-early April, in addition to being able to taste artichokes prepared in various ways, you can walk among various stands offering local products, and you can have fun with the shows organized to entertain the many visitors .
It's so much fun to see the main streets teeming with people who patiently line up to linger at the stands, especially at those where there are free tastings.
Or stand in front of those stands where they demonstrate how certain products are used. Dazed in front of the skill of the seller who manages to work miracles, you are convinced that you too will succeed and in the end, after having passed several phases in front of you and buy the product.
Very special is the feast of the patron saint of the village, Saint Joseph.
In March, on the evening of the 18th and on the morning of the 19th you can visit the altars, that is, laid tables prepared by those who received a grace through the intercession of the Saint, which are then shared with the poorest in the town.
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Altar of San Giuseppe - Picture from Wikipedia[/caption]
It is a tradition on the evening of the 18th to visit the altars in the houses.
We gather together with friends and leave for the tour. The older ones naturally by car, the others on foot ... it is a joyful atmosphere, you turn the streets talking about the pluses and minuses, spending a pleasant evening.
Many altars are located on the upper floors, so patiently stand in front of the doors to allow those who are coming down to go out and then go up and admire the skill of how the hosts have decorated and laid the table.
This means that you often meet with the same group of people while you wait to be able to enter and you exchange opinions on which altar is more beautiful ...
This year not being able to do it made me understand how much I am tied to this tradition.
Another anniversary is the special meeting in the square on Easter day, in which the statues of the Madonna and Jesus meet in the centre of the main square carried on the shoulder by devotees.
Seeing the statues bowing in front of each other, the doves flying and then the fireworks, conveys an emotion that cannot be expressed in words.
You have to be there to understand how involving everything is ..
And then in the evening, after the procession through the main streets of the town, you will be enraptured to watch the fireworks that illuminate the sky with their bright colours and spectacular shapes.
In summer, however, to cheer up the evenings of those who do not go on vacation, there are often outdoor dance evenings, concerts by local musicians where you can relax and enjoy the cool of the evening while enjoying a good ice cream.
In mid-September there is the Bread Festival where you can taste the traditional ‘cunzatu’ bread.
In the third weekend of October, we have the October Fair where the streets and squares of the town centre are full of stalls where you can find everything ...
When I was a child, there was a plate seller who came every year and always put himself in the same place. For us it was like going to the theatre because he showed the various models by arranging them acrobatically ... We were all waiting thinking "now this will break" but instead, miraculously, the dishes remained intact.
Today you don't have to wait for the October fair to shop, since everything is in the department stores, yet we always buy something at the fair ... even nonsense.
This is the beauty of the outdoor festivals in Ramacca!
Cover picture by Wikipedia
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