Images from Camarda, Abruzzo

It originated during the Middle Ages, when raids of the Lombards drove residents of Forcona to seek refuge in higher places. According to a legend, the name derives from the "Cama ardet!", shouted by the peasants who saw their sheaves set to fire by Lombard soldiers.

[The photos were taken at different moments in the years before 1998, by photographer Gigi Carraro of Pavia]