The “Tosello” has become part of the Italian Folk Arts and Traditions at MUCIV-Museum of Civilizations as a donation from the community of Pagani, testifying to the Feast of the Madonna delle Galline in Pagani (Salerno), which has been included in the Inventory of the Intangible Heritage of the Campania Region since 2022. The donation is part of a project to protect and promote this material and intangible heritage, which has a demo-ethno-anthropological nature, initiated by the Ministry of Culture through MUCIV-Museum of Civilizations, ICPI-Central Institute for Intangible Heritage, and the Archaeological Heritage and Landscape Superintendence for the Provinces of Salerno and Avellino, together with the Department of Political and Social Studies of the University of Salerno. This project has been carried out as part of a participatory process involving various local institutions and associations: the Municipality of Pagani, the Archconfraternity of Santa Maria Incoronata del Carmine (known as the “galline” confraternity), and the Cultural Association Ambress’ ..Am…press.
Born from the initiatives of local communities, who are key players in a complex process of heritage recognition for the Feast, the project focuses on the vitality of this tradition with the goal of contributing to its preservation. The working method is based on ethnographic research of the Feast and the socio-cultural life of Pagani, along with the implementation of participatory initiatives, paying attention to the anthropological, social, cultural, and religious characteristics of the territory, as well as the perspectives related to tourism and economy.
It was within this process that the proposal for the donation of the Tosello was born. It was set up, during a public event held on March 29, 2025, by the “Tosellari” of Pagani with the objects they considered most significant in order to share the devotional and cultural elements of the Feast with the public. The “ritual” of assembling and donating the Tosello, participated and shared by the community, represented an original safeguarding initiative and made the Feast a heritage for all, serving as a possible model for future shared valorization activities.
The Tosello of Pagani
The Tosello consists of a corner of a courtyard or a place of affection, which, arranged by those—individuals, families, or groups—who take care of it, becomes each year a kind of votive chapel. It is opened when the procession of the Madonna passes on the Sunday in Albis, as an offering (ex-voto) to the Virgin.
The image of the Madonna, central in the arrangement, is surrounded by various materials, just as in ancient times in votive shrines: damask fabric drapes, fine blankets, lace, plants, flowers, farmer’s symbols (tools, wheat, bread, wine, fruits of the earth…), tammorre (tambourines), and castagnette (castanets).
During the Feast, as the preparations continue in various places in the historic center awaiting the opening of the Toselli at the passage of the Madonna, people in their homes hand-rolls egg tagliolini (a type of pasta) and season them with meat ragu. The menu of the feast also includes roasted artichokes and votive breads. In local tradition, “schizzo” (a splattering) is a must—getting stained with San Marzano tomatoes, an emblematic product of the area.
From the memories of Francesco Tiano, a key figure and innovator of the ritual, it is understood that the Tosellaro (the person who prepares the Tosello) must undergo a spiritual preparation that lasts 365 days, as the Tosello must encapsulate a variety of activities carried out throughout the year: “malepatenze” (sufferings), joys, and pleasures, to then culminate eight days after Easter when the Madonna passes in procession. FA/KB/GF/VT