Discovering the "pezzentelle souls" in the Hypogeum of Purgatory in Arco, to celebrate All Saints' Day and commemorate the dead according to the Neapolitan tradition
If there is a place in Naples where you can know the cult of the dead and the particular relationship that the Neapolitan people have always lived with death, this is the Museum Complex of Santa Maria delle Anime of Purgatory in Arco.
In 'Hypogeum of Purgatory in Arcoin fact, the so-called are kept "Pezzentelle souls", skulls, niches and small altars that testify to the intense and spontaneous cult of the souls in Purgatory. There is no place, therefore, more suitable in Naples to celebrate the days of All Saints and the day of the commemoration of the dead.
In the days of Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 November 2014 il Purgatory Complex in Arco will organize two extraordinary openings to deepen the extraordinary and mysterious bond of the Neapolitan people with death. During both days the Hypogeum will be opened from 10 to 17 to tell the stories of the "pezzentelle souls" and to document the great meaning of life that our people attribute to death and its manifestations. From the 19 23, the Complex will reopen to offer visitors a nougat tasting.
In fact, not everyone knows that between food and death there is a particular association that dates back to ancestral times, when between 1 and 2 November tables were set in every house to offer food to the dead who were returning from the afterlife and who needed refreshment after the long and tiring journey. A ritual that still survives today, even in different forms.
In Purgatory Complex in Arco it will be possible to relive this experience and discover the value that food takes on in the transition from earthly life to death. During the visit, we will focus on our local gastronomic traditions, and on dishes prepared with typical ingredients of the popular tradition, such as wheat flour, cooked wine, pomegranate, honey, dried fruit. The food offered as a gift to the dead establishes a transitory bond with them because consumed while alive it nourishes, but it also nourishes the dead because it saves their souls.
Information on the extraordinary opening of Purgatory in Arco
When:
- 1 and 2 November 2014, from 10 to 17, guided tours every 30 minutes for groups of max 30 / 35 people included in the input fee
- 1 and 2 November 2014, 19 rooms at 23 guided tours every 45 minutes, for groups of max 30 / 35 people, upon reservation, included in the input fee, with tasting of the torrone of the Dead (19 departures: 15, 20: 00, 20: 45, 21: 30, 22: 15)
Price tickets:
- Whole 4 €
- Reduced under 25, groups larger than 15 3 units euro
- Evening 5 euro
Reservations: at the Progetto Museo secretariat at 081440438, from Monday to Friday, from 10,00 to 14,00.
Info: info@progettomuseo.com
www.progettomuseo.com.
