On January 17, Salerno lights up with the fires of Sant’ Antuono (Saint Anthony Abbot), a ritual that marks the beginning of Carnival. While the custom is more nuanced in the city today, in Vietri sul Mare the link with the fire saint remains unbreakable, protector of those who work with kilns and ceramics. But the real collective Salerno ritual is celebrated at the table on Mardi Gras: Lasagna. Not just any pasta, but a baroque’architecture layered with meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, salami and rivers of pork ragout, a last excess before the rigor of Lent.
