Salted cod stew “Baccalà in umido”

Ingredients: 1 kg of stockfish, 4 or 5 tomatoes, some bay leaves, some oregano, ½ onion, oil, 1 chilly pepper, salt.

Heat the onion in a pan with the oil. Add tomatoes, bay leaves and the chilly pepper. Put the stockfish in the pan, add some salt and some water and cook slowly.

“Stuffed Courgettes”

Ingredients: ½ kg courgettes, ½ lt of tomato sauce, 200 gr of grated pecorino cheese (sheep’s cheese), 200 gr of bread crumbs, 1 onion, 2 eggs, basil, oil and salt.

Cut the courgettes in two. Remove the pulp and place in salt water and leave for a few minutes. Place the bread crumbs, the eggs, the cheese, the chopped onion and the pulp from the courgettes in a bowl. Mix well. Fill the courgette skins with this mixture. Place in an oven-proof dish and pour the sauce over them.

During this month the landscape around the town changes and the countryside is tinged with different colours. The trees loose their leaves and there are only a few fruit after the rich summer harvest.

Walking down the streets of the town the smoke from the chimney tops perfumes the air.

An important festivity that the people look forward to is the “October fair” held on 1^st and 2^nd of the month in honour of St. Anthony. Once it was held close to the water mill that is all that remains of Saint Anthony’s Abbey. Later this fair was moved close to the railway station and this is where it is held even today. People used to go and buy food, various tools or even livestock and the fair is still a welcome attraction.

This happened . . .

October 02 1919 With the signing of an official act in the presence of a notary public the local Bank: “Cassa Rurale di Spezzano Albanese”, was founded.

October 24 1922 The fascist party was founded in Spezzano thanks to Alessandro Marini, a local lawyer.