In 2003, the four of us spent several weeks in Calabria, Italy. We interviewed local people about folk
healing remedies, attended a Feast Day honoring St. Cosma and St. Damian, and paid two visits
to the Shrine of Madonna dello Scoglio, where we interviewed its founder, Fratel Cosimo. In this
essay, we have provided our impressions of Calabria and the ways in which its native people have
developed indigenous practices and beliefs around medicine and healing. Although it is one of the
poorest areas in Italy, Calabria is one of the richest in its folk traditions and alternative modes of
healing. Combining personal experiences and theoretical knowledge, this paper aims at illuminating
how these practices, though indigenous and primal, still continue to serve a meaningful and powerful
purpose for the inhabitants of Calabria
