The Ballo della Cordella: a Petralia Sottana
The Ballo della Cordella: a Petralia Sottana tradition that also lives on in our wine
On Sunday, August 16, 2026, Petralia Sottana will once again celebrate one of the most fascinating traditions of the Madonie: the Re-enactment of the Ancient Wedding Procession and the Ballo Pantomima della Cordella. The summer programme includes the wedding procession at 3:00 pm in Piazza Gramsci, followed at 5:00 pm by the Ballo della Cordella at the Municipal Sports Ground.
This is much more than a folkloric event. It is a collective story that brings back to life the rural world of the Madonie, the work in the fields, the harvest and the deep bond between people and the land. A heritage of gestures and symbols that belongs to the history of Petralia Sottana and continues to be handed down from one generation to the next.
Twenty-four ribbons, twelve couples and the cycle of the land
At the heart of the dance stands a pole topped with a bundle of ripe ears of wheat, from which twenty-four colourful ribbons, known as curdeddi, hang down. Twelve couples of dancers, traditionally associated with the twelve months of the year, weave and unwind the ribbons following the different figures of the dance.
The four main figures recall the essential stages of agricultural life: sowing, germination, harvesting and bread. The dance thus becomes both a gesture of thanksgiving for the fruits of the land and a wish for prosperity, fertility and happiness. Its origins are linked to ancient rural thanksgiving rituals, while over time the tradition became intertwined with devotion to the Madonna dell’Alto, patron saint of Petralia Sottana.
It is precisely this bond between memory, land and community that we feel is so close to the philosophy of Masseria Sant’Elia: preserving what the territory has handed down to us and transforming it into something capable of speaking to the present day.
From a traditional dance of the Madonie comes the name Cordella
It is from this tradition that our Cordella Bianco Metodo Charmat takes its name. The choice is far from accidental: just as the colourful ribbons of the dance intertwine around the pole, this wine aims to weave together conviviality, territory and memory.
Fresh, lively and light, Cordella is a sparkling wine with a fine perlage and floral, citrus and fruity notes. A wine designed for aperitifs and moments of sharing, born in the heart of the Madonie and connected, even in its name, to one of the most distinctive expressions of local culture.
For us at Masseria Sant’Elia, telling the story of a wine also means telling the story of the place it comes from. Behind a bottle there can be a story, an ancient gesture, a village celebration and a community that continues to recognise itself in its traditions.
On Sunday, while the curdeddi are once again woven together in Petralia Sottana, it will be wonderful to remember that the same story continues to live on in a glass. And for those who would like to discover Cordella together with the other expressions of our production, you can visit the Masseria Sant’Elia wine selection.