Figure 1.-- Pacentro, a little village in the mountains, about 150 km east of Rome, in the region Abruzzo. The Patron feast of the village is celebrated on September 8, for the Catholic Church feast of the Nativity of Mary. During the feast takes place a boys' race called "Corsa degli Zingarelli" (Little Gypsies' Race). In the local dialect, however, the word Zingaro means Barefoot. In the region Abruzzo, indeed, there is an ancient settlement of Gypsies (Rom), that traditionally went barefoot.

Pacentro, a little village in the mountains, about 150 km east of Rome, in the region Abruzzo. The Patron feast of the village is celebrated on September 8, for the Catholic Church feast of the Nativity of Mary. During the feast takes place a boys' race called "Corsa degli Zingarelli" (Little Gypsies' Race). In the local dialect, however, the word Zingaro means Barefoot. In the region Abruzzo, indeed, there is an ancient settlement of Gypsies (Rom), that traditionally went barefoot. An Italian reader tells us, "This is a barefoot race throughout the village streets, but it is not only a sport contest. The race is joined to the religious feast, so it starts from the church and finishes into the church. The winners of the races have a little prize, but, for all the runners, the most important thing is to get to the finish. Sometimes the children have some feet wounds, but their parents don't stop them: on the contrary, the parents encourage them to continue the race."

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Created: 1:11 AM 11/7/2013
Last updated: 1:11 AM 11/7/2013