:34:10
lt is estimated that,
out of 100 sold snakes,
:34:13
at least 50 are discarded
as totally inedible
:34:17
and are regularly shipped
:34:19
to the American
and European gourmets.
:35:04
There is a little village in
the Abbruzzi where the snakes
:35:07
are part of an ancient
and gentle tradition.
:35:11
At Cucullo, on Saint Dominick's
Day, the statue of the saint
:35:14
is carried through
the procession.
:35:16
And the believers follow it
:35:18
with their hands full of
these harmless creatures.
:35:20
ln ancient times,
as the legend goes,
:35:23
the valleys of this region
were infested with vipers
:35:26
which the saint,
with the power of his love,
:35:28
made harmless by depriving
them of their poison.
:35:32
Beyond its pagan aspect
and its unusual folklore,
:35:36
the ceremony reveals
an ancient and deep
:35:39
act of faith toward goodness.