Strega Nona
an Italian folktale
The story of Strega Nona is set in a region in Southern Italy. The purpose of this story map is to share a story from my own cultural background. We use our stories to make sense of who we are as people and as a way to connect to each other. Stories help us to get to know ourselves and each other on a more personal level. By sharing a story from our own cultural background with people who have the same background, or even those with different ones, we share a piece of ourselves with new people to help them understand something that is important to us as people!
Strega Nona is set in the region of Calabria, which is in Southern Italy. Strega Nona herself is a character that exemplifies the archetypal wise old woman, a figure often found in Italian folklore! This book helps children and early level readers be introduced to folklore that is specifically relatable to one cultural background, and it helps introduce readers to the culture in a fun way. The story is rich with Italian traditions, such as the importance of food and Strega Nonas use of folk remedies, as well as the portrayal of tight-knit community life that Italians appreciate.
In a small town in southern Italy by the name of Calabria, an old witch called Strega Nona lived. Many people in the town talked about her, but still went with her when they had problems because she had a magic touch. These powers included her making potions for girls who wanted husbands and getting rid of warts! However, she was getting old, so she put up a sign in the town square to get someone to help her. A man by the name of Big Anthony went to see her, and he was told to sweep and wash the dishes as well as tend to the garden and the goat. The one thing Strega Nona advised him NOT to do, was touch the pasta pot. Big Anthony agrees to this, and he listens to her for some time. He had a place to sleep and food to eat. Then, one night, he heard Strega Nona singing over the pasta pot. She sang “bubble, bubble, pasta pot, boil me some pasta, nice and hot, I’m hungry and it’s time to sup, boil enough pasta to fill me up.” and then the pot boiled and was filled magically with pasta! She then sang another tune to turn off the pot, but Big Anthony was already aware of its magic! The next day, he went to the town square to fetch water and told everyone about the pasta pot! However, absolutely no one believed him, so he made it his mission to prove that the pot is magic. Strega Nona ended up leaving her home to go see a friend over the mountain to another town, and asked Anthony to keep up with his chores, however, the moment she left, he decided to try to get the pot to make magic pasta. Luckily for him, it worked! He invited the whole town to eat the pasta with him at her house, and the pot began to overflow. The townspeople were thrilled to have this mass amount of pasta to eat! When he attempted to turn the pot off, he forgot to blow three kisses after he sang the tune that shuts it, a vital part of turning it off! The pasta pot began to overflow more and more, and Big Anthony couldn't figure out how to turn it off, and the pasta kept pouring. The pasta would not stop no matter what he tried, and it ended up busting out the windows and the doors of Strega Nonas house! This caused the townspeople to worry and they had to protect their homes from the neverending pasta. Nothing worked, and the pasta kept coming, and then Strega Nona returned! She knew what had happened right away, and sanf the magic song and blew three kisses to turn it off. All the townspeople thanked her for saving them, and decided Anthony needed a punishment. Strega Nona decides that his punishment has to fit his crime, so she makes Anthony eat all of the pasta that poured out of her house so she could sleep in her own bed! So, he ate all of the pasta, just like she asked.
THE END.