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Bread is used to build a stunning cathedral every Easter in a small Sicilian town.
When it comes to Easter celebrations in Italy, San Biagio Platani's "Arches of Bread" festival is unrivalled. This unique tradition of creating life-size structures with herbs, beans and bread traces its origins to Sicilian feudal times, when locals welcomed visiting rulers with grandiose arches constructed from marble and other precious stones. Having no access to such materials, the farmers of San Biagio gave up the idea of marble structures and opted for ones crafted from bread instead. Even after the era of ruling estates passed, this living custom was kept alive by being connected to religious ceremonies. A document recorded at San Biagio's main church states that a portion of the harvest each year would be devoted to building "arches of bread".
