Festa a Mare at the Scogli di Sant'Anna in Ischia

The beautiful Cartaromana Bay on the evening of July 26 becomes even more atmospheric with the Festa a Mare agli Scogli, in honor of St. Anne and a local tradition. On the day of the saint's celebration, expectant mothers would go in procession to pray to the image of the Mother of Our Lady, kept inside a chapel in the bay. To reach the chapel, women were accompanied by fishermen on boats that were decorated with garlands of flowers for the occasion. In the wake of this tradition, every year there is a parade of allegorical boats, veritable floating scenic machines (made by artisans and artists) inspired by themes that change from year to year, but always related to the island and ancient local traditions. The evocative spectacle is witnessed on the rocks, on the boats and on the pier in a bay lit only by torches placed on the ramparts of the Aragonese Castle, on the balconies of the village and on the battlements of the Tower of St. Anne. The parade precedes a further spectacle, the re-enactment of the burning of the castle (which occurred at British hands in the early 19th century) simulated through the use of splendid fireworks.