In the case of funerals for children there are a number of special practices. Near Bari, in Puglia, the parents and relatives follow the coffin at a short distance and periodically toss handfuls of sweets on it. In Sicily, the sound of church bells ring out joyfully during a child’s funeral. This latter practice appears to have come from Spain, where it is called la misa d’angel (the angel’s mass).
In 1823, it was recorded how the remains of the poor received little care or ceremony. At Naples a burial-ground (campo santo) was set aside for those who died in the public hospitals and paupers. Here were located 366 vaults, each sealed with a pile of lava rock. Each morning one of the vaults was opened and all of the bodies of the dead for that day were put there. The bodies, stripped of most of their clothing except for a small loincloth, were unceremoniously thrown in without any effort to position them. At nightfall the vault was sealed and another was opened on the following day. By the time all of the vaults were used, a year had passed. This was plenty of time for the remains of those interred earlier to dissolve and be replaced by a new batch. This practice was a survival of a practice used in Italy at least as far back as the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC. Roman writers like Varro, Festus, and Cicero mention puticuli, large trenches into which the dead bodies of the poor were thrown and left to rot away.
The Capuchin convent of Palermo includes a sort of catacomb in which the mummified remains of dead monks, still dressed in there robes, are hung by their necks along the walls. The four long subterranean corridors also cases or coffers containing the remains of local gentry and nobility who paid for the privileges to be interred there. Each of these coffers is locked and the keys held by the loved ones of the departed.
burrata: a type of cheese manufactured exclusively in Puglia. It was invented in the early part of the 20th century by a family of dairy farmers in that region.
Busa: (fl. late 3rd century BC). An Apulian noblewoman. After the disastrous defeat at Cannae in 216 BC, many of Roman survivors fled to Canusium where Busa gave them clothing, food and other provisions at great personal expense. She later received special thanks from the Roman Senate.
Busambra, Monte (PA): A mountain (1,613 m) in W Sicily, rising to the NE of Corleone. Rocky in its upper level, its lower slopes are covered with oak trees.
Buscemi (Anc. Casale; Arab. Abisama) (SR): A commune (area: 51.6 km²; alt. 760 m) in the province of Siracusa. Located 47 km W of Siracusa, it is situated on a spur of Monti Iblei, to the left of the river Anapo. The local economy is based on the growing of carob beans and citrus fruit.
History: Known to the Saracens as Abisama, it was originally an ancient center known as Casale, the remains of which can still be seen. Archaeological evidence indicates that the site was inhabited during the Middle Bronze Age.
Buscemi, Vincenzo: (b. Palermo; fl. 19th century). Italian patriot. He was a member of Garibaldi’s Mille.
Busekuin: The Saracen name for Bisaquino, Sicily. The name means “many waters.”
Busentinus, River: Ancient name for the river Busento.
Busento, River (anc. Busentinus, Busentus, Barentinus): A river in Calabria. It rises 6.4 km N of the town of Grimaldi and flows N for 17 km until it joins the river Crati at Cosenza. The Busento divides the city of Cosenza into two sections, the old city on the hill, while the newer city lies on the plain. The river figures in history principally in its connection with the Visigoth chieftain Alaric. In AD 410, following his famous sacking of Rome, Alaric moved south through Campania and Bruttium, intent on crossing over to Sicily. When this plan was thwarted, Alaric led his people northward again. While still in Bruttium, he became severely ill and died in a short time. The Visigoths, fearful that Alaric’s grave would be desecrated, diverted the course of the Busento and buried their dead leader in the now-dry river bed. Included with the body was a great treasure consisting of some of the most precious treasures stolen from Rome. Once the burial was completed, the river was returned to its original course thus masking all trace of the grave. The company of slaves who performed the burial was then murdered, thus assuring that location would not be revealed. Despite repeated attempts to find Alaric’s grave by both professional archaeologists and amateur treasure-hunters, the location of the burial and its incredible treasure has never been found.