Silkworm cultivation
Don Mario Brizi mentions this tradition in his book A fulgure et tempestate, which gathers stories from northern Viterbo and southern Tuscany, especially the local festivals, rites, and customs of Proceno. On page 63, in the section titled “The Procession of Saint Mark and the Silkworms,” he writes: “Until the 1930s, many families in Proceno raised silkworms to boost their small income. The work lasted two or three months and always began on 25 April, Saint Mark’s Day, with an age-old rogation procession—so ancient that Pope Gregory the Great already called it ‘traditional’ in the sixth century. The mulberry tree—whose leaves feed the silkworms—also appears in a fresco in Palazzo Sforza, painted in the lunette of the vaulted corridor on the main floor. A photo is attached.
Women who had prepared a ‘bed’ of dry branches and mulberry leaves at home joined the procession, clutching a small case of silkworm eggs to their chests. This act was seen as asking God’s blessing on the work ahead. Back home, they immediately warmed the blessed eggs and, when the moment was right, spread them on the prepared lattice.”
