Italian Witchcraft : The Old Religion of Southern Europe

As a professional folklorist and a native of Italy now living here in the U.S., I was very interested to read this book. It contains authentic elements of Italian folklore and folk magic, mixed with various aspects of Italian Witchcraft. But as the author clearly states in the introduction, portions of the material are also mixed with some modern Wiccan elements. I found very little of this mixture, but it is present as the author readily admits several places in this book.Grimassi states in the introduction that he created a system called the Aridian Tradition for Americans to practice, which is a blend of old and new material. There are two chapters dealing with the modern Aridian Tradition, chapters three and twelve. The remaining 20 chapters all contain older and authentic Italian material, much of it verified by the field research of several folklorists, including J.B. Andrews, Lady de Vere, Roma Lister, and Charles Leland.For some additional background reading on Italian Witchcraft and folklore, I would suggest The Evil Eye by Elsworthy, and Etruscan Roman Remains by Charles Leland.

I loved this book because you learn about the Old Religion of Italy in witchcraft.

This is an absolutely fantastic book! Raven Grimassi, you've done it again! Following your own creed of 'adding, but not taking away', this is an expanded and updated version of 'Ways of the Strega' which so many of us found a strong attraction to years ago. For anyone interested in where the 'Craft' really comes from, where the 'roots' are, and returning to the 'source', this is an essential read. For those looking to understand the 'how's and whys' of what grandma (or 'nonna') used to do, and what they remember from childhood, this is a great place to look. The sections that have been updated from 'Ways' are really interesting, particularly the Tuscan tradition info, and the comparison between what some claim were 'Gardner originals' with what has existed before. As with 'ways', alot of information is hidden amoungst the passages, requiring the reader to seriously think about the ideas presented; one the tricks to how Raven writes, with several levels of meaning available to the aspiring student, making it fun and necessary to reread the book several times. So if the full moon calls you to look skyward and remember the 'Old Ways'; to remember Diana, Artemis, Aradia, Hecate, to think of warm nights in Tuscany, and celebrating Mother Earth, then this will be something you'll definitely find intereting......

Ways of the Strega presents many elements of classical Roman Witchcraft mixed with ancient Etruscan elements. Many people today are unfamiliar with non-Celtic sources and often erroneously attribute many elements of modern Witchcraft and Wicca to Gerald Gardner and other writers who focused upon northern and western European paganism. Grimassi sites many historical sources dealing with Italian Witchcraft, beginning with the ancient Roman poet Horace, and culminating in a list of historical records related to Italian Witchcraft drawn from the archives of the Inquisition. Grimassi also introduces the reader to several key elements of old Italian culture that served to preserve the ancient traditions of Italy among its peasant witches. Although Grimassi admits in the book to adding some modern Wiccan elements, I still recommend this book for anyone who is interested in a serious pre-Gardnerian study of the Old Religion.