Good news! Following many requests, Medicina Popolare del Vulture: Traditional Medicine of the Vulture-Alto Bradano area, Southern Italy (self-published, 2009) is now available for purchase via Blurb’s print-on-demand service. As this is a self-published book, the print on demand service can be a bit pricey – but it is the only current mechanism we have at this point in making the book more widely available. You can place your order on the Blurb or Amazon.com site.
This bilingual (English and Italian, with plant names in Arbereshe) book was originally self-published in 2009 as part of a community effort to share the knowledge gathered during years of field study in this region of southern Italy back to the communities. Through an EU grant, we were able to distribute nearly 1000 copies back to households in the communities at no cost to them.
If you are interested in learning more about the healing traditions of the Italian south, this is the book for you!
Here is a full description from the cover:
Traditional medicine plays an important role in the everyday healthcare of south Italians. In this bilingual book, I offer readers a glimpse into the world of popular medical remedies of the Vulture-Alto Bradano area of Basilicata, southern Italy. This area of Italy is unique due to the presence of two cultures: Italian and ethnic Albanian (Arbëreshë). The local uses, preparations and applications of medicinal plants and animals are described and accompanied by photos. Magical healing ceremonies that treat spiritual illnesses are described in detail. Local anecdotes and folklore associated with these remedies are also included, and bring the lively stories of the relationships between people and their environment to light.
La medicina tradizionale ha un ruolo importante nella salute giornaliera dei meridionali italiani. In questo libro, bilingue, offro ai lettori un rapido sguardo nel mondo dei rimedi medici popolari dell’area del Vulture-Alto Bradano in Basilicata, nell’Italia meridionale. Quest’area del sud Italia è unica per la presenza di due culture: quella italiana e quella etnica albanese (Arbëreshë). L’utilizzo locale, la preparazione e l’applicazione di piante medicinali e animali sono descritte e accompagnate da foto. Vengono dettagliatamente descritte le cerimonie magiche curative che trattano malattie spirituali. Sono inseriti nel libro anche aneddoti locali e folklore associati a questi rimedi ed evidenziano l’acceso rapporto tra la gente e l’ambiente circostante.
