Tarantism is a pagan myth from the South of Italy according to which whoever’s bitten by a spider suffers physical and mental disturbances. Around the year 1700, the Catholic church started interfering in the rituals. Those who fell victim to the “taranta” could be cured by beholding a statue of St. Paul. This exorcism took place every year on July 28, which was a harvest day.
Cecilia Mangini Retrospective
