Focaraccio della Madonna di Loreto

The focaraccio: a night of fire in the Sibillini

On the evening of December 9th, in Bolognola, the highest and least populated village in the Monti Sibillini in the province of Macerata, one of the oldest and most heartfelt traditions of the Marche region is renewed: the lighting of the focaraccio della Madonna di Loreto. It is a large bonfire of wood and faggots that burns through the night, in the Renaccio area, on the eve of the feast of the Coming of the Holy House, celebrated on December 10th.

The legend of the Holy House

According to popular tradition, on the night between December 9th and 10th, 1294, the Holy House of Nazareth, the dwelling of the Virgin Mary, arrived in Loreto by flight, carried by angels. The fires lit throughout the Marche and much of Umbria recall precisely those that, according to legend, illuminated the path of the Holy House through the sky of central Italy. Hence the many local names for the rite: focaracci in the Macerata and Fermo areas, fugaroni in the Ancona area, fochere in the Ascoli area. Devotion, from a spontaneous gesture of the peasants, was formalized in the 17th century and has continued uninterrupted ever since.

A community rite

In Bolognola, the focaraccio is above all a moment for the community. The preparation is collective: wood is gathered in the preceding days, and on the evening of December 9th, the village gathers around the fire. Traditionally, the bonfire is accompanied by a moment of prayer — the recitation of the Ave Maria, the rosary, or the Litanies of Loreto — and by the sharing of wine and broad beans, in an atmosphere that combines the religious dimension with the convivial and festive one.

Bolognola and the Sibillini

With just over a hundred inhabitants, Bolognola is the least populated municipality in the Marche, nestled in the heart of the Monti Sibillini National Park. Severely affected by the 2016 earthquake, the village has made its traditions a sign of resistance and identity: the focaraccio, like other community events, is a way to keep alive the memory and life of a mountain village. For those visiting the area, the night of the focaraccio is a unique opportunity to discover the authenticity of the Macerata hinterland, far from the major tourist flows.

Marche Day

December 10th, the feast of Our Lady of Loreto, patron saint of the region, is also Marche Day, established in 2004 to celebrate the identity and cultural heritage of the territory. Bolognola's focaraccio thus fits into a network of fires that, on the same night, illuminate villages, countryside, and cities throughout the region.