Carnival may be over in the rest of Italy but the biggest celebration is on Ash Wednesday in the tiny town of Gradoli overlooking Lake Bolsena in northern Lazio. Here , on the pretext of helping the souls in purgatory, members of the Fratellanza del Purgatorio serve a seated luncheon for more than 1,800 people
Whatever solemnity the feast may have had in past centuries when a small, devout crowd ate in the imposing Palazzo Farnese, has disappeared. The 4-course lunch, held in the darkened cave of the huge wine warehouse, is a beehive of confusion on the day which marks the beginning of Lent.
Bundled-up diners find their places at trestle tables stretching the length of the unheated cantina sociale. Crockery, glass, fork and knife are carried from home along with an onion to chop over the steaming plate of white beans drizzled with the area’s excellent olive oil. Bottles of all sizes and shapes are offered up and down the table; a mark of the homey hospitality that is one of the major ingredients of this festa.
People come from all the towns around the lake of Bolsena, from nearby Viterbo and busloads from as far away as Rome (100 kms.), Latina and Milan. Members of the confraternity, 70 strong, become cooks and waiters for the day preparing the Pranzo del Purgatorio without any help from women who are forbidden to enter the camp kitchens.
Sixteenth-century documents show that the menu del magro, of strict fasting, has remained unchanged throughout the centuries. It begins with a speciality of the area, cannelloni beans in olive oil, then fish broth with rice, followed by pike, fried whiting, baccalà with garlic, oil and parsley and an apple for dessert. Each course is washed down with the famous local wines, Grechetto and Aleatico, which are bottled in this same warehouse.
The young, white-smocked “holy waiters†zip among the tables carrying huge platters emblazoned with the confraternity’s coat-of-arms while the older members preside over copper cauldrons on open fires in the makeshift kitchen. The traditional delicacies are prepared according to closely guarded recipes handed down through the centuries.
As the afternoon lengthens and the empty bottles multiply, songs break out in one corner of the huge hall, a guitar can be heard from another table and ruddy-faced guests serenade with traditional stornelli. Archaic musical instruments appear from under the tables during the last two courses and the noise level rises still higher as the confraternity’s drummer and standard bearer march around the huge dining hall, soliciting cheers and offerings that will be used for local charities.
Lunch on Ash Wednesday in Gradoli is more than a dining experience; it sometimes resembles a three-ring circus. Tickets for the luncheon (15 euro) must be ordered and collected in Gradoli before the event.
See www.elegantetruria.com for more information about the Northern Lazio.
