Senza Sconzu: Domenico De Luca's Book on Votive Floats, in Seminara

Ex Ospedale dello Spirito Santo · Seminara, Costa Viola, Calabria

22 August 2026

On Saturday 22 August 2026, at 6:30 pm, the former Ospedale dello Spirito Santo in Seminara hosts the presentation of 'Senza Sconzu. Carri votivi e culti dallo Stretto alla Piana di Gioia Tauro', the essay by Domenico De Luca published by Officine Editoriali da Cleto. The book investigates the centuries-old tradition of votive floats and religious cults across Calabria, from the Strait of Messina to the Gioia Tauro plain. The author is joined in conversation by journalist Marina Rizzo and local historian Giuseppe Cricrì, with Marco Marchese moderating, after institutional greetings from the town's deputy mayor and cultural councillor. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.

The event at a glance

On Saturday 22 August 2026, at 6:30 pm, the former Ospedale dello Spirito Santo in Seminara (Via Vescovado 64) hosts the presentation of 'Senza Sconzu', Domenico De Luca's essay on the votive floats and cults that run from the Strait of Messina to the Gioia Tauro plain. The initiative brings together the cultural bodies of the area: Pro Loco Seminarium, the Museo delle Ceramiche di Calabria, the Centro di Studi Esperide ODV, the Municipality of Seminara, the Terramala association, Mittatron Onlus and the Rotaract Club Palmi. Admission is free and, as the poster says, all citizens are invited to take part.

The book: 'Senza Sconzu'

'Senza Sconzu. Carri votivi e culti dallo Stretto alla Piana di Gioia Tauro' is published by Officine Editoriali da Cleto, with prefaces by don Letterio Festa and Marina Rizzo and an afterword by Matteo Limongi. The essay fills a historiographical gap: it brings attention back to the ancient tradition of votive floats that animated the communities of the plain for centuries, investigating the religious celebrations of towns such as Seminara, Rosarno, Polistena and Sant'Eufemia d'Aspromonte. The result is a historical and social enquiry into the symbolism of these festival machines, central elements of Calabrian cultural identity.

The author, Domenico De Luca

Domenico De Luca was born in Scilla in 1996 and lives and works in Palmi. He graduated in Historical Sciences at the University of Rome 'Tor Vergata' with a thesis on the 1908 earthquake, the quake that redrew the whole area of the Strait, and is also the author of the essay 'La Tosse della Terra' (2023). His work moves along the line between documentary history and collective memory: themes that return in 'Senza Sconzu', where archive sources intertwine with the stories and rites handed down in the villages.

Votive floats: a tradition of the plain

Votive floats are the great festival machines carried in procession to fulfil a vow or honour a saint: imposing structures, built and moved by the community, around which months of preparation revolve. The most famous case in the area is the Varia di Palmi, inscribed since 2013 on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list as part of the Network of Italian great shoulder-borne processional structures. But, as the book reconstructs, it was by no means an isolated case: similar traditions ran through many towns of the plain, some now vanished, others surviving in different forms. One detail makes the meeting even more meaningful: the 2026 edition of the Varia has been cancelled and postponed to 2027, so this year the machine does not parade. All the more reason to rediscover its history in the pages of a book.

The venue: the former Ospedale dello Spirito Santo

The choice of venue is no accident. The former Ospedale dello Spirito Santo is the only monumental building in Seminara to have survived the devastating earthquake of 1783, which wiped out most of the stone evidence of the ancient town. Today the building is at the centre of a revival project: it is becoming the Museo della Città, thanks to funding from the POC Calabria 2014/2020 programme and to the initiative of the Centro di Studi Esperide together with the Museo delle Ceramiche di Calabria, the Municipality of Seminara and the Mittatron and Pro Loco Seminarium associations. Presenting a book about the memory and rites of the territory here means letting the container speak as much as the content.

Who takes part

The evening opens with institutional greetings from Gregorio Garzo, deputy mayor of Seminara, Domenico Scordo, town councillor for culture, and Fabian Ricciardi, president of the Rotaract Club Palmi. The author is then joined in conversation by Marina Rizzo, journalist for the Quotidiano del Sud and author of one of the book's prefaces, and by Giuseppe Cricrì, a local historian. The meeting is moderated by Marco Marchese of Officine Editoriali da Cleto, the publishing house behind the book.

Practical information

The appointment is on Saturday 22 August 2026 at 6:30 pm at Via Vescovado 64, Seminara (RC), in the premises of the former Ospedale dello Spirito Santo. Admission is free and no booking is required. Seminara is reached by car from the A2 motorway (Rosarno or Gioia Tauro exits), from which the road climbs to the old town. For those who want to combine the meeting with a visit to the area, you can discover things to do and where to eat in Seminara and, for visitors from further afield, available accommodation nearby.

Frequently asked questions

When and where is the 'Senza Sconzu' presentation held?

On Saturday 22 August 2026 at 6:30 pm, at the former Ospedale dello Spirito Santo in Seminara (RC), Via Vescovado 64.

Is admission free?

Yes: admission is free and everyone is welcome. No booking is required.

What is the book about?

'Senza Sconzu. Carri votivi e culti dallo Stretto alla Piana di Gioia Tauro' investigates the tradition of votive floats and the religious celebrations of the area, focusing on towns such as Seminara, Rosarno, Polistena and Sant'Eufemia d'Aspromonte. It is published by Officine Editoriali da Cleto.

Who is Domenico De Luca?

He was born in Scilla in 1996 and lives in Palmi. A graduate in Historical Sciences from Rome Tor Vergata with a thesis on the 1908 earthquake, he is also the author of the essay 'La Tosse della Terra' (2023).

Who takes part in the meeting?

Institutional greetings from Gregorio Garzo (deputy mayor of Seminara), Domenico Scordo (councillor for culture) and Fabian Ricciardi (president of Rotaract Club Palmi); the author is joined by Marina Rizzo and Giuseppe Cricrì, with Marco Marchese moderating.

What is the former Ospedale dello Spirito Santo?

It is the only monumental building in Seminara that survived the 1783 earthquake, and today it is at the heart of the project to create the Museo della Città, promoted by the Centro di Studi Esperide with the Museo delle Ceramiche di Calabria, the Municipality of Seminara, Mittatron and Pro Loco Seminarium.

Does the Varia di Palmi take place in 2026?

No: the 2026 edition has been cancelled and postponed to 2027. The book presented in Seminara reconstructs its history together with that of the other votive floats of the plain.

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