ABSTRACT
Pilgrimage has played a crucial role in Italian national history, culture and tradition. All over the country, sanctuaries and pilgrimage places attract a wide range of people motivated by both spiritual and worldly considerations. This chapter concentrates on research undertaken primarily by Italian scholars from the nineteenth century and the focuses on pilgrimage in Southern Italy and popular religion after the Second World War. It begins by considering the national folk studies tradition, which dominated the ethno-anthropological research landscape during the second half of the nineteenth century and focussed particularly on cultural traditions in Southern Italy. Italian folk studies was shaped by regional traditions and focussed on local practices, costumes, beliefs and festivals as well as cults surrounding particular saints and shrines. The research reflected a historical and philological perspective and was often very detailed and exhaustive. Traditional boundaries are breaking down to some extent, and some Italian researchers are realising that this process must also extend to academic disciplines.
