It’s summer, so for many Italians, it’s the season for the annual feast days. A season where many of the Saints and the Madonna are honored in many communities. Today, I want to tell you a bit of a story, about a special painting, a special town, and a special feast.

I grew up in a small town in Southern Italy called Palermiti, in the province of Catanzaro, in the region of Calabria. If you were to look at a map, chances are you would never find it. The permanent population of Palermiti is probably around 1,000 residents, if that. Many Palermitesi, my family and myself included, have migrated to other regions of the world for better opportunities.