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🔔 The Italian Almanac

September 18

Stories and curiosities for September 18, from the Italy of a thousand bell towers.

Busted myths

The Godfather's Corleone was never Corleone: it was Savoca

The scenes of The Godfather set in Corleone were not shot there: Coppola filmed them on the other side of Sicily, between the provinces of Messina and Catania, in Savoca, Forza d'Agrò, Motta Camastra and Fiumefreddo. It is in Savoca, on the ground floor of the eighteenth-century Palazzo Trimarchi, that Michael Corleone talks with signor Vitelli, Apollonia's father. That little bar still exists, everyone still calls it Bar Vitelli, and today it welcomes visitors onto the set of a legend.

📍 Discover Savoca

Today's tidbits

Italian records

Civitella del Tronto's Ruetta: one person at a time, and a contested record

A plaque in Civitella del Tronto, a fortress town in Abruzzo, declares its Ruetta the narrowest street in Italy. The alley does admit only one person at a time, but the title is disputed: at present the Italian record belongs to a lane in Ripatransone, in the neighbouring Marche. The town holds a far weightier record unchallenged, though: its imposing fortress was the last Bourbon stronghold to surrender to Italian unification, holding out until 20 March 1861, three days after the Unity of Italy had been sealed.

📍 Civitella del Tronto →
Words born here 1859

The magenta in your printer is a town near Milan

Every colour printer on the planet runs on four inks, cyan, yellow, black and magenta, and the last one is named after a Lombard town west of Milan. The dye was developed in 1859 by the French chemist François-Emmanuel Verguin, who obtained it by oxidising crude aniline; its name was dedicated to the Battle of Magenta, which had just made the town famous during the Second Italian War of Independence. And so a battle of the Risorgimento ended up in ink cartridges the world over.

📍 Magenta →

🎉 Celebrations today in… 8

8 towns with a guide celebrate their patron saint on September 18

Other saints of the day 8

Refrancore · Piedmont Ponzone · Piedmont Osimofino al 1967 san Vittore e santa Corona; · dal 1967 san Giuseppe da Copertino · Marche Sissa TrecasaliMadonna delle Spine · Emilia-Romagna San Paolo SolbritoMadonna di Serra · Piedmont Castellina in Chiantisan Fausto · Tuscany Genzano di Romasan Tommaso da Villanova · Lazio Ficullesant'Eumenio · Umbria
Patron saint festival 📍 Ficulle

Feast of Saint Eumenius

📅 Every year, on 18 September

On 18 September Ficulle celebrates Saint Eumenius; in summer the village also hosts the Ficulle In Rock Festival, in the natural amphitheatre of the public park.

Patron saint festival 📍 Osimo

Feast of Saint Joseph of Copertino

📅 Every year, on 18 September

On 18 September Osimo celebrates its patron, Saint Joseph of Copertino, who died and rests in the basilica dedicated to him; until 1967 the patrons were Saint Victor and Saint Corona.

Patron saint festival 📍 Sanza

Feast of Saint Sabinus

📅 Every year, on 18 September

One of the patrons of Sanza is Saint Sabinus the Martyr, celebrated on 18 September; the other patron, Our Lady of the Snow, is carried on the shoulders of the "Marunnari" up to Monte Cervati on 26 July.

Patron saint festival 📍 Genzano di Roma

Feast of Saint Thomas of Villanova

📅 Every year, on 18 September

On 18 September Genzano di Roma celebrates Saint Thomas of Villanova; that same month, since 1989, the town has also held the traditional Festa del pane casareccio di Genzano (Genzano homemade bread festival).