Il Giglio e la Stella: the historical procession of the Annunziata in Oppido Mamertina

Piazza Umberto I · Oppido Mamertina, Costa Viola, Calabria

18 August 2026

On 18 August 2026, from 6 pm, «Il Giglio e la Stella» returns to piazza Umberto I in Oppido Mamertina: the historical procession of the Annunziata organised by the Maria SS. Annunziata feast committee. It re-enacts the Miracle of 1743, the year the plague that reached Messina aboard a Genoese merchant ship crossed the Strait and spread through the Reggio Calabria area: from that episode comes the thanksgiving feast the town dedicates to its patron saint. The first edition, in August 2025, filled the square with participants in costumes faithful to eighteenth-century style and authentic jewellery, medieval games and music, flag-throwers and historical groups arriving from Sicily too, with narrators telling the story as the procession moved through the town. The organisation is led by the rector Don Giuseppe Papalia together with the committee. It is the event that opens the week of the patronal feast, which from 21 to 23 August brings concerts to the square, including Amedeo Minghi on the 22nd.

The procession of 18 August 2026

«Il Giglio e la Stella» is the historical procession of the Annunziata in Oppido Mamertina. In 2026 it is scheduled for Tuesday 18 August, from 6 pm, in piazza Umberto I, organised by the Maria SS. Annunziata feast committee as part of the Aria d'estate mamertina programme.

It is the first of the major events of the patronal feast: it opens the week that from 21 to 23 August brings to the square the Rocco Epifanio exhibition, the Neo Folk concert by Stefano Priolo and Nino De Francesco, the Amedeo Minghi concert on the 22nd and the Bati's Band on the 23rd.

Unlike the concerts, this is an event the town builds with its own hands: participants, costumes, historical groups, narration. The 6 pm start exists precisely for that, because the procession crosses the centre in late-afternoon light.

What is re-enacted: the Miracle of 1743

The procession stages the re-enactment of the Miracle of 1743, a story that has been told in Oppido for almost three centuries.

In March 1743 a Genoese merchant ship arriving from the East docked in the port of Messina carrying the plague. The Sicilian city was overwhelmed: it lost almost seventy per cent of its inhabitants in six months. The contagion then crossed to the Calabrian shore — according to historical accounts through smuggling traffic between the two sides of the Strait — and in the Reggio area the epidemic caused thousands of deaths, with estimates of around six thousand victims in Reggio Calabria alone. The epidemic was finally eradicated in 1745.

The plague reached Oppido too, and the community entrusted itself to the Madonna Annunziata. From that deliverance comes the second feast of the year dedicated to the patron saint: not the liturgical date of 25 March, but a thanksgiving celebration, the one that still fills the town in August. Since 2025 the historical procession has been the way this memory is publicly retold.

What the first edition was like, in 2025

The first edition of the historical procession of the Annunziata took place on Monday 18 August 2025 and made a strong impression in town. The programme featured medieval games and music, displays by flag-throwers and musicians, then the historical procession itself with the re-enactment of the Miracle of 1743, which in 2025 concluded in piazza Regina Margherita.

Attention to detail was the defining trait: participants wore costumes faithful to eighteenth-century style, made by Claudia Morabito of Reggio Calabria, and authentic jewellery curated by Rosa Maria Buda of Oppido Mamertina. The story was told to the audience by narrators Marta Iaria and Antonio Roselli. The historical groups taking part included Sinafe Medieval and the Leoni Reali of Camporotondo Etneo, who came over from Sicily.

The organisation was led by the rector Don Giuseppe Papalia, described by the local press as the tireless soul of the event, together with the committee. The initiative had the patronage of the Regional Council of Calabria and the support of the municipal administration.

Maria SS. Annunziata, patron of Oppido and of the Diocese

Maria SS. Annunziata is the patron saint of Oppido Mamertina and of the Diocese of Oppido-Palmi. The devotion dates back to the Byzantine period: a miraculous icon attributed to a twelfth-century painter from Constantinople was venerated here, though it is now lost.

The wooden statue venerated today is the work of the Neapolitan sculptor Arcangelo Testa and dates from 1841. It is kept in the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, in piazza F. Marino Zuco, a short walk from the squares where the summer programme takes place.

On 25 March, the liturgical day of the Annunciation, the feast in honour of the patron saint has always been of great importance to the people of Oppido and to the whole diocese, with the bishop's pontifical mass and a procession through the streets. The August feast, the one linked to 1743, is the other half of this devotion: more popular, more crowded, and the one that brings the emigrants home.

How to plan

The Aria d'estate mamertina poster lists no tickets, advance sales or prices: the procession takes place in the streets and squares of central Oppido Mamertina and is open to the public. The meeting point given on the programme is piazza Umberto I at 6 pm; at the first edition the re-enactment ended in piazza Regina Margherita, a short distance away.

Oppido Mamertina is reached by car from the Gioia Tauro plain: from the Gioia Tauro exit on the A2 motorway it is about twenty kilometres inland. During the patronal feast the centre is crowded and the central streets may be closed to traffic: it is worth arriving early and parking outside the old town.

The portal has holiday homes in the area and the businesses of Oppido Mamertina. The full summer programme is on the Aria d'estate mamertina 2026 page; the 22 August concert has its own page, Amedeo Minghi in Oppido Mamertina. Other events are in the events section.

Frequently asked questions

When is the 2026 historical procession of the Annunziata?

Tuesday 18 August 2026, from 6 pm, in piazza Umberto I in Oppido Mamertina, province of Reggio Calabria. It is organised by the Maria SS. Annunziata feast committee.

What does «Il Giglio e la Stella» re-enact?

The Miracle of 1743, the year the plague that arrived in Messina aboard a Genoese merchant ship crossed to the Calabrian shore and struck the Reggio area. The community of Oppido entrusted itself to the Madonna Annunziata, and from that deliverance comes the thanksgiving feast the town celebrates in August.

What do you see during the event?

At the first edition, in 2025, the programme featured medieval games and music, displays by flag-throwers and musicians, and then the historical procession with the re-enactment of the Miracle, accompanied by narrators. Participants wore costumes faithful to eighteenth-century style and authentic jewellery.

Who organises the procession?

The Maria SS. Annunziata feast committee, with the rector Don Giuseppe Papalia leading the organisation. The first edition had the patronage of the Regional Council of Calabria and the support of the municipality of Oppido Mamertina.

Do I need a ticket?

The programme poster lists no prices, advance sales or box office. The procession moves through the streets and squares of the centre and is open to the public.

Who is Maria SS. Annunziata for Oppido Mamertina?

She is the patron saint of the town and of the Diocese of Oppido-Palmi. The devotion dates back to the Byzantine period; the wooden statue venerated today is by the Neapolitan sculptor Arcangelo Testa, from 1841, and is kept in the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. The liturgical date is 25 March, while the August feast is the one linked to 1743.

What other events take place during the feast week?

From 21 to 23 August: the Rocco Epifanio exhibition «Oltre il confine - Trasmutazioni» at Palazzo Grillo, the Neo Folk concert by Stefano Priolo and Nino De Francesco on the 21st at 10.30 pm, the Amedeo Minghi concert on the 22nd at 10.30 pm and the Bati's Band on the 23rd at 9 pm.

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