The Loggias of Ferruzzano

Ferruzzano Until the 1970s: August at the Beach

After the great festival of the patron saint, St. Joseph— which culminated on the first Sunday in August with fireworks and the “Minasi Horse Dance”— all the families of Ferruzzano would head to the beach. They set out on foot, with a mule loaded with everything they might need: provisions, sheets, cookware, tables, chairs, and straw mattresses—not to mention the pig and the “gallhuzzi” (free-range chickens). At the beach , the men had built “logge”— square huts, huddled close together, with walls made of reeds woven with ferns, oleanders, myrtles, or mastic trees. Inside, the sun could not penetrate, and in the half-light, lulled by the sound of the sea, the scent of the branches was almost intoxicating.

Life by the Sea

The animals had their own places: the pigs stayed on the shoreline, in front of the logge, tied under a branch and near the water. Mules, goats, and chickens, on the other hand, stayed behind the logge. The days passed in the beauty of simplicity. The women cooked and hung out the laundry, while the children played. People went for a swim when the 11 o’clock train passed by… In the evening, they played games like “cucuzzaru” or “campanaro.” Or they simply sat in the cool evening air and chatted. There was always someone with an accordion, and we’d make some music or dance. And perhaps we were closer to happiness.

September

In September, people returned to the village, with their mules loaded just as they had been on the way there. They left behind their life by the sea to resume their rural activities. The huts were torn down and burned. The beach was returned to nature.

Preserving the Memory

We thank Orlando Sculli, the village’s living history, Tania and Antonio Catalano for the wonderful article on itimoni.it, Liana Sofia Tumino for the video “I loggi di Ferruzzano,” and the Facebook group “I love Ferruzzano & l’Area Grecanica” for collecting old photos and memories from the village’s families.