Wild Herb Gatherers' Week

The Gatherers' Week in Montenerodomo

In the municipality of Montenerodomo, in the province of Chieti, the Wild Herb Gatherers' Week offers an immersive, itinerant journey through the Biodiversity Valley, nestled at the foot of the eastern slopes of the Maiella. Set among the ruins of the Iuvanum Archaeological Park, an ancient Roman-Samnite city perched on a mountain plateau, the event weaves together nature, memory, and community through a week of trails, workshops, and gatherings.

Wild Herbs and Ancient Wisdom

At the heart of the initiative is a training course led by Maria Sonia Baldoni, a scholar and popularizer of wild herbs, accompanied by the guardians and witnesses of traditional Abruzzese knowledge. Participants learn to identify and harvest the territory's wild herbs, following a path that combines nature observation, field practice, and the transmission of knowledge passed down through generations.

• Identification and foraging trails for wild herbs along the Maiella paths
• Herbal workshops and traditional preparations
• Meetings with keepers of local traditions
• Gastronomic experiences featuring wild herbs and typical local products

The Summer Solstice and St. John's Eve

The event takes place during the summer solstice, a time steeped in symbolic meaning within rural culture. The program includes solstice ceremonies and rituals linked to St. John's Eve, when, according to popular tradition, harvested herbs acquire special virtues. These are the moments when the intangible heritage of the territory becomes a shared experience, filled with stories, songs, and ancient gestures.

Iuvanum and the Biodiversity Valley

The choice of the Iuvanum Archaeological Park is no coincidence: the area, immersed in the high hills and mountains of the Maiella National Park, holds extraordinary botanical wealth. The initiative is part of the activities of the Benedetto Croce and Abruzzo Literary Park, which promotes the bond between culture, literature, and landscape in this corner of the province of Chieti, in Abruzzo.

A Community Experience

More than just an event, the Gatherers' Week is an opportunity to meet and rediscover the relationship between humanity and nature. Moments of sharing, cultural encounters, and collective practices accompany participants throughout the week, in a continuous dialogue between past and present at the foot of the Maiella.