The Big Conversation – Della Medicina: Italian American Folk Medicine

During this discussion we’ll explore the cultural healing practices that the Southern Italian immigrants brought with them and cultivated in the Italian enclaves, such as Utica, NY. These practices, though often described as witchcraft, were a fundamental aspect of Italian-style folk Catholicism, but rooted in the ancient pagan traditions of Rome, Greece, and the greater Mediterranean world. 

Italian folk medicine is a broad term that encompasses the diverse healing practices of the many regions of Southern Italy. These were methods of resilience and self-sufficiency that emerged from the agricultural peoples of the Mediterranean and are linked to ancient worship of the land, fields, and agricultural deities. These traditions were brought to the United States by the immigrants who fled Southern Italy after the Risorgimento (the unification of Italy) and aided their adaptation and survival in a new land. Many of these folk healing traditions are linked to folk Catholicism as well as the much older pagan, animistic practices of the Italic tribes.

During this talk we will discuss the techniques of Italian folk medicine, the way these techniques are linked to village/communal society, and how they are linked to “stregoneria” (witchcraft) and Benedicaria (the unique style of folk medicine developed by Italian Americans).

Lisa Fazio grew up in Utica, NY and is a second generation Italian American whose paternal grandparents immigrated from Calabria and Benevento regions of Southern Italy. She is a clinical herbalist with 30 years of experience as well as an author and folkloric witch. She is the founder of “The Root Circle,” a mystery school focused on promoting and revitalizing traditional healing practices and peasant wisdom as a form of community resilience in collaboration with plants, place, and magic.

Lisa is the mother of 4 children, a nonna (grandmother), and currently resides in Newport, NY.