Breton “Onion Johnnies” in Britain. August 25, 2009

The Onion Johnnies are farmers who cross the Channel to sell their onions in Britain. They started doing so at the end of the XIXth century. They would transport their onions on bikes and go from house to house to sell their braids of onions. Winston Churchill was one of their customers ! He liked their onions very much.

Johnnies'bikes

They still carry on this trade but they are not as numerous. They board the ferry in Roscoff to Plymouth, their vans loaded with oinions , proud to maintain that tradition.

A young Johnny oinion man braiding his oinions.

By the way: Johnny means “little John” and in Breton language “ar Johnniged”

Their onions have just been granted a quality label ‘( A.O.C: Appellation d’origine contrôlée) and last weekend there was an Onion Fair in Roscoff ( Brittany, France) which was attended by hundreds of people.

A vivid tradition indeed!

Onion Jonhnny in Edinburgh ( Scotland) in the 1960's

Onion Johnny preparing his braids nowadays.

People at work August 25, 2009

Just a few photos with craftsmen at a traditional crafts fair. They belonged  to various areas in the country and were quite colourful.

Virgin of Pompei’s festivity 2009 / Festa della Madonna di Pompei 2009 August 23, 2009

Un po’ dei fuochi di artificio in onore della festa della Madonna di Pompei di quest’anno: 22 – 23  Agosto.

A little of the fireworks in honor of this year Virgin of Pompei’s festivity: 22nd – 23rd August.

Gina – Scuola Primaria “A. Ciancia” – Francavilla in Sinni (PZ) – Italia

The Italian tomato sauce/ La salsa di pomodoro italiana August 22, 2009

Nella nostra regione, come in molte altre zone dell’Italia, le donne sono, in questo periodo dell’anno, impegnate a preparare e conservare la salsa di pomodoro, ingrediente base per la preparazione del sugo usato per condire il nostro piatto nazionale: la pasta asciutta. Chi vive in piccoli paesi come il nostro o  in campagna ed ha la fortuna di avere un orto, usa pomodori di propria produzione, chi no, ne trova in grande quantità dal fruttivendolo.

In our region, as in many other areas of Italy, women, are in this period of the year, busy to prepare and preserve the tomato sauce, basic ingredient to prepare the sauce we use to season our national dish: the pasta. Who lives in little towns like ours or in the country and has the luck to have a kitchen garden, uses own production tomatoes, who not, finds them in big quantity at the greengrocer’s.

Ecco come si prepara nel nostro paese/ Here’s how they prepare it in our town:

Gina – Scuola Primaria “A. Ciancia” – Francavilla in Sinni (PZ) – Italia

Old Lace and Embroidery Exhibition at the Peasant’s Museum August 13, 2009