February 14: Valentine Day but in Sorrento we celebrate Sant’Antonino, the Saint Patron of our city

If you ask anyone from Sorrento what is celebrated on February 14th, do not be doubtful about the answer! Forget Valentine’s Day, on this day all around the town of Sorrento, people celebrate the death of the Patron Saint of Sorrento, St. Anthony Abbot, which occurred on the 14th of February, in 265 a.c.

On the eve of the feast, from the early morning hours, the prodigious silver statue of the Saint is exposed on the high altar of the Basilica of Sant’Antonino, ready to accommodate the flow of faithful who celebrate the entrance of the Saint to eternal life.

During the festival the statue is carried along the main streets of Sorrento.

After the statue is brought around town, it is then carried to the Basilica where the Archbishop celebrates the Eucharist. The Basilica is indeed the true focus of the celebration, where locals come and “greet” the patron.

“Not inside, not outside the walls”, these were the last words of St. Anthony about his burial, and this explains the exact location of the Basilica which houses the mortal remains of the Saint, which is situated amongst the ancient town walls of Sorrento.

The most visited part of the Church is the crypt, more commonly known as Soccorso, which houses the remains of St. Anthony; It occupies the entire left side of the building and is placed at a lower level, accessible by two staircases.

Once down below in the crypt, the first thing that jumps out to the eye is the altar, placed at the center of the room, around which a path leads the devotees to pay homage to St. Anthony: behind the same altar, an oil lamp with silver foil is touched and followed by reciting prayers.

Once the religious celebration is over the feast continues outside the Basilica, where all kinds of markets and stands fill the streets of the center of town. The day before the feast the famous Corso Italia road begins to be prepare for the fair: stalls and stands start looking for a strategic place to position themselves.
 
The students attending Italian courses at Sant’Anna Institute will have the unique opportunity to experience this tradition and also to practice Italian with all the local people that will visit Sorrento for the occasion.

The 14th of February in Sorrento is like a National holiday. All the Sorrento families are used to prepare cakes and desserts for the occasion. In some families they use to prepare Sfogliatelle or the so called Pizza di Crema but in my family we prepare the Pastiera Napoletana or Pastiera di Grano (Easter Wheat Pie), a typical Easter cake that we prepare in order to celebrate the Saint Patron (grain means abundance) but also, as my aunt said: “ to have a trial for the Easter production of Pastieras!”

Ingredients

For the Pastry Dough:
2.5 Cups  Flour
1/2 Cup  Sugar
3 - Eggs
2.5 Tbs  Crisco
Pinch of Salt
Zest of one lemon

For the Filling:
1.5 Lbs - Ricotta
1/4 Lb - Hulled wheat (from soft wheat)
1 Cups - Sugar
4 - Eggs, separated
1 Tbs - Vanilla extract
1 Tsp Orange extract
1/2 Cup Citron or candied fruit (optional)

Directions/Steps

For the Crust:
Arrange flour in a circle on your work surface. In the center, add the eggs, sugar, Crisco, salt and lemon zest.
Mix together by hand until firm. Shape into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for later use.

For the Filling:
The wheat should be rinsed with water and placed in a pot with enough cold water to cover it by 1 inch.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 30 - 40 minutes until tender.  Drain and let it cool for use in the recipe.
In a large bowl, beat eggs yolks only.  Set aside egg whites in a separate bowl for later. Add ricotta, wheat and sugar to beaten egg yolks and mix everything until well incorporated.  Add the vanilla, orange extract and citron and mix well.  Beat egg whites until fluffy and foamy and fold into the ricotta mixture.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9" x 1.5" baking pans with Crisco and set aside.
Cut a piece of the dough, according to the size of the pan, and roll it out with a rolling pin.  The dough should not be too thick.  Lay dough into the greased baking pan. Fill the pan with the ricotta mixture. 

For the top crust: cut another smaller piece of dough and roll very thin.  Cut this into strips and place across the top of pie, in a crisscross pattern. Press the ends together with the dough edge from pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.