Feast of Our Lady of the Stairs

On September 8, Castellammare del Golfo celebrates the Madonna della Scala, whose veneration is linked to the small shrine atop the mountain overlooking the gulf. Tradition has it that in 1641, a young shepherdess, having taken shelter from a storm in a ravine, found a reliquary there containing an image of the Madonna and Child: according to popular legend, this discovery gave rise to the devotion, and the small church was subsequently built. The festivities begin as early as late August with the sung rosary and Holy Mass, and culminate in the late afternoon of September 8, when the statue is carried from the sanctuary to the town square for the Eucharistic celebration and a procession through the town’s streets, before returning to the sanctuary amid fireworks. In the days leading up to the festival, the tradition of tasting pasta with fava beans is revived, linked to the story of the nine young virgins who took part in the first pilgrimage to the sanctuary.