A story to tell

On a warm summer day, walking through the narrow streets of Naples’ historic center, a colorful figure, nestled beside an ancient deconsecrated church, catches the attention of two passersby from afar. Curious, they draw closer. Once there, they discover a kiosk adorned with countless decorations, softened by green branches of lemons and oranges. Behind a marble counter and two large “mummare” appears the face of a woman of uncertain age, with fiery eyes and ash-gray hair.

It was Marietta, the priestess of La Mummarella. Marietta didn’t sell water, she offered it, as if performing a ritual suspended in time. From her hands it passed into yours, and in that gesture you could feel the breath of life flowing through earth and water together. As the two young men watched, enchanted, the woman turned her gaze toward them and, in a soft tone with a local accent, exclaimed:

“At that time, a united Europe did not yet exist, or at least, no one came to tell her how things should be done. Until then, she lived peacefully: the Mummarella. You might say that small terracotta jars to hold water have always existed, used all over the world, even today.
And that’s true. But the Mummarella, no, that was something else. She was created to keep fresh a water that belonged only to us: acqua ferrata. A water with an ancient taste.” “Marietta’s Mummarella had belonged to everyone. She had served conquerors and liberators, yet no one had ever truly possessed her. Fragile in material, she had resisted, proud and dignified, invasions, wars, and plagues. But, alas, she could not resist the new world.
One day, Europe arrived and declared: beverages must be kept in proper containers, their origin and properties clearly labeled. The acqua ferrata, offended and frightened, continued to flow… but in secret, never to be seen again. Do you want to know who I am today? A woman who has lost her identity. What is her name? It no longer matters. She is no longer Marietta. She is no longer a priestess, and there is no more magic. From her hands you will no longer receive water in the Mummarella. She is simply a woman who sells drinks… in cans.”