The “folloviello” of Sorrento, a Christmas lucky charm sweet.

They are bundles of citrus leaves filled with figues, sultanas and orange. They are a speciality of Sorrento’s peninsula, also known as “follarelli” or “fogliarelli” . They are sweets that, for all the Lord of the Rings fans, refer immediately to the lembas, the bread of the elves.

They are prepared from November until January, the tradition says that the sultanas are boiled in wine and wrapped with candied oranges in citrus leaves tied with raffia. They are left drying in the oven and then served. Moreover they are famous in Calabria with the name “panicelli d’uva”.

   

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The Fountain of enchantments

Its name is “the fountain of enchantments” or “of Coccovaja” and it is located in the center of the square Salvatore di Giacomo in Posillipo. Today the fountain is covered in graffiti, used for waste collection and many people walk around it but no one knows that a long time ago, citizens were afraid of that fountain. It is said that the witches of the city met at the fountain during the night to make potions using its water.

It was built in the XVI century at the behest of viceroy Pedro Alvarez de Toledo, it was damaged during the Revolution of Masaniello and it was restored several times.

   

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