Alessandra Belloni

VERY PROUD TO SHARE THAT REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW OPEN! This tour through Southern Italy, as seen in my book "Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna" (Bear & Company) is a journey to seven sacred sites of the Black Madonna that are called in the Italian tradition "the seven sisters.” They are connected to seven Goddesses that are part of the ancient worship of Mother Earth and the Moon Goddesses and the archetype of the African Mother. This will be the 7th musical pilgrimage I am leading, that is dedicated to the Divine Feminine and LA MADONNA NERA in places where she is still worshipped as she was in pre-Christian times. Unlike Spain or France, in Southern Italy we still dance, chant, and play our drums for Her. This will be a VERY unique and special experience!! PLEASE REGISTER NOW, AFTER MY BOOK HEALING JOURNEYS WITH THE BLACK MADONNA, THE TOUR WILL SELL OUT FOR SURE!TO REGISTER: https://www.everbutton.com/pay/4834$150 non refundable deposithttps://www.amazon.com/Healing-Journeys-Black-Madonna-Practices/dp/1591433428/Check out why I am leading this pilgrimage and why I teach my special drumming & dance workshops (coming up in Tuscany) and my work as healer and artist! The Voyage of the Black Madonnaa documentary film by Alessandra Bellonihttps://youtu.be/aE0Kg6A2Yi0Please contact me right away at ABelloni@aol.com if you want to come on this tour, The cost of the tour is $ 2,900 for double occupancy and $ 3,300 for single occupancy. Included:A great feature of this tour are the local folk traditions: the music of the tarantella, the dancing, and the fantastic food, all freshly prepared according to regional traditions. Here you will find the most amazing wine in the favored land of Dionysus, god of Ecstasy and Wine!I will take people on the same journey that I have taken over many years as a devotion to the Black Madonna which, in 1990, inspired me to write the Folk Opera THE VOYAGE OF THE BLACK MADONNA and now featured in my book! I am happy to share with you a very personal journey that will transform your life!This special tour will start at Rome’s airport on the morning of August 4th – and return there on the night of August 16th. It is open to women and men, please see the beautiful testimonial below by Salvatore Guglielmo, a special young man who took the tour last summer !See details below: We will visit the following places and Black Madonnas:• August 5th: La Madonna della Neve, Torre Annunziata. This is where I met the great writer and archeologist, Armando Mei, who will be leading this part of the tour with me.We will go to the annual feast which is a reenactment of the fishermen finding the Madonna in a box underwater, at sunset by the beach near Vesuvius. Spectacular and very moving! At the end of the reenactment we sang a sacred Medieval chant to the Black Madonna on the beach, and people gathered around us. We were filmed for local TV! Here is a link:http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=EEaVZKAFu5cFour nights at HOTEL DEI CONGRESSI – 4 star hotel with a beautiful Mt. Vesuvius view and swimming pool.• August 6th: Black Madonna of Positano, also by the Sea, a beautiful Byzantine icon, also connected to Aphrodite. Positano is one of the most amazing towns of the Amalfi coast, and we will spend the day there. I will lead a ritual of purification in the sea with white flowers, drumming and chants. Dressed in white and blue, we will honor the Madonna del Mare, Aphrodites/Yemanja in the Afro- Brazilian tradition.-In another powerful moment we will do a great improvised TAMMORRIATA all together!! Last year we had a blast!https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10204573333234723• August 7th Led by writer/archeologist Armando MeiPompeii and the Temple of Isis.The Temple of Isis in Pompeii is witness of Egyptian influence over Late Roman religion. In Pompeii is preserved one of the most important southern Italian temples dedicated to the Goddess Isis. Armando will talk about on the connections between the origins of the Great Mother Culture and its evolution over the millennia, a journey through Ancient Sumerian and Egyptian Myths among the ruins of the most famous ancient town of POMPEII.• NIGHT OF AUGUST 7th – We will meet one of my drum teachers the well-known tammorra maker, Raffaele Inserra, from Gragnano, and singers Marianna Ricciardi, Gianfranco, for a feast at the great restaurant, il Vigneto. We will play and dance, and people will have a chance to learn the authentic tammorriata dance in honor of the Black Madonna.• August 8th We will leave for the mountains and visit the Black Madonna of Montevergine – also known as Mamma Schiavona (Serving Mother), on the spectacular, sacred Mountain near Avellino- (beautiful mountain region, called Irpirnia), originally the ancient site of the Temple of the goddess Cybele, Black Mother and Earth Goddess from Anatolia. She is the most important of the seven sisters.We will visit the famous Throne (a special rock in the mountains called Seggia della Madonna) where healing miracles happen. Last year many of our tour group had a very powerful and mystical experience. Up in the sanctuary we will play the tammorriata drumming and sing for her. We will also enjoy the great local food and wine, as we rest in the restaurant atop the mountain.We will spend two nights at the beautiful HOTEL DE LA VILLE**** (AVELLINO)• August 9th – Black Madonna in Moiano, near Benevento, the powerful, beautiful MADONNA DELLA LIBERA, the one I am most devoted to- I have personally received a miracle from her. She is the most magical! This was also an ancient site of the worship to the Goddess Isis.In the chapel we will also chant her traditional songs, ones I learned from the old women of the town during the procession.• August 10th – LA MADONNA NERA INCORONATA DI FOGGIA (Puglia land of the tarantella!) new this year. We will travel to the famous Tavoliere delle Puglie, a beautiful landscape of agricultural land, to the Sanctuary of this mysterious Madonna Nera with the GOLD CROWN who appeared in the year 1001 in very magical way. While shepherds were working in the field 2 bulls ran away to a Tree (OAK TREE) and knelt down, as lightning and fire appeared for a long time. Suddenly a voice was heard saying I AM MARY MOTHER OF GOD! And I want my temple built here! And the Beautiful Statue of the Black Madonna Nera appeared right in the tree. And she made many miracles, also with a special anointing oil that always burns at her image and never goes out.• August 1: LEAVE FOR CALABRIA!! My favorite land!Stay at HOTEL TERRAZZO SUL MARE in TROPEA for five nights with GREAT CALABRESE FOOD, NEAR THE CENTER OF TOWN, and a stunning view of the sea and the volcano. We will stay in the beautiful town of Tropea, in a hotel with great food and a breathtaking view of the beach and the active volcano, STROMBOLI! There we will have a few days of rest on the beach, swimming in the turquoise sea which is very similar to Hawaii, and shopping in the town.In Calabria we will meet and feast with my good friend and tarantella teacher, Vittorio de Paola. We will have dinner and party in his beautiful restaurant on top of the mountain, with a great view of the sea. This was a highlight of last year’s tour!August 13th, we will honor the Black Madonna del Tindari. This is a magical place, where the Madonna del Tindares (Ethiopian name) was found in cave under the mountain, which we will visit, by enchanted lakes of salt water, and a wonderful turquoise sea, where we will do a purification ritual. The Madonna looks like an African Totem and is inside the church on top of the mountain, with the inscription Nigra Sum Sed Formosa (I am Black and Beautiful). Next to the church we will visit the archeological site that has the temples of Demeter and Cybele and drum as we watch the most spectacular sunset over the sea.August 14: The feast of the Black Madonna di Seminara, Madonna dei Poveri, celebrated with a wild drumming ritual, reenacting an ancient fertility rite, and giant Puppets that dance to the fast 6/8 rhythm of the tarantella (Giganti). Last year everyone was enchanted by the powerful rhythms of African origins, and seeing the giant puppets of the African King Courting the Italian Queen, thus bringing together these two cultures.AUGUST 15th - Feast of the Asumption - we will clsoe with a fantastic plgrmiage ona boat following la madonna dell'isola OF TROPEA, THE MADONNA OF THE SEA, THE ANCIENT APRODITES RITUAL IN THE WATER AS A FINAL BLESSINGS FROM THE GREAT MOTHER.•August 16th – LEAVE FOR ROME AIRPORTI HOPE YOU WILL JOIN ME FOR THIS MAGICAL, TRANSFORMATIONAL PILGRIMAGE !As you can read from the testimonials, everyone last year had an amazing time! EVVIVA LA MADONNA NERA!Testimonial for the Black Madonna Pilgrimage"Attending Alessandra Belloni’s Black Madonna Pilgrimage was life changing. It is one of the hardest experiences to put into words as it is an experience lived and felt greater than can be expressed by any language. She has shown me the truth of my roots in Southern Italy and I have never felt more connected to something greater than myself in all my life. Being devoted to the many Italian goddesses that came before her, The Black Madonna upon experiencing her awakened many answers within me. She has a power that must be experienced on a personal level to understand this. My life is truly beginning and I feel I’m beginning to blossom. Alessandra has a mysterious gift to guide you but only if you listen to her and reach deep down into your own soul, and it has been one of the greatest decisions of my life to join her. You may sometimes find yourself in overwhelming joy or in tears, releasing all that is holding you back. It is a lesson not only in surrendering to the Cosmic Mother, but the divine within. Now I really feel a part of something bigger than myself and even though a majority of women join Alessandra, I feel blessed to be one of a handful of men that has truly heard this call to join her and learn from her. Embracing the divine feminine of the Black Madonna has nurtured my soul, my divine masculine, and I feel more like a real conscious man. The world has a lot to learn from Southern Italian culture, and I encourage everyone to learn from Alessandra and raise world consciousness. We need that more than ever in the times we’re living in."The cost of the tour $2,900 to $ 3,300 which includes $ 400 extra for a single room This does not include airfare and lunch as we will be moving around during the days. But includes:1) Hotel accommodations, double occupancy, 4 star hotels 2) Breakfast and wonderful dinners in very good restaurants and hotels,3) Tour bus4) Ferry boat back and forth to Sicily5) My work as the guide to the pilgrimages with some lectures on site, leading drumming ceremonies, chants and rituals in appropriate locations.Please note registration fee of $150 is needed as soon possible, plus $ 500 is needed by April 1 to ensure your participation and to have the tour operator secure the hotels.The tour second deposit is due by May 1, and the remaining of the total amount due June 1PAYMENT SCHEDULEDue soon: $150 Registration Fee (Non Refundable) by January 1 Tour Registration plus deposit (non refundable) April 1$700 Tour DepositDue June 1- $ 2,050Final PaymentYou can also pay by check made out to Alessandra Belloni.

Announcing the 1st Rhythm is the Cure in Southern Italy! Join me in the mystical mountains of Calabria for a healing drumming and dance retreat, in a luxury new resort overlooking the seawww.ilmoscardino.comInternationally renowned singer, percussionist, teacher, and dancer Alessandra Belloni Author of the book 'HEALING JOURNEYS WITH THE BLACK MADONNA , published by Inner traditions, Bear & Company, No.3 on Amazon, and with foreword by rev. Dr. Matthew Fox ! for her 1st Annual Healing Dance & Percussion Workshop in Southern Italy Announces"RHYTHM IS THE CURE" For her 1st Annual Healing Dance & Percussion Workshop in Southern Italy from August 17th to 24th, 2020- in a luxury country house in the mystical mountains of Serra San Bruno Calabria over-looking the sea.LOCATIONIl Moscardino a luxury country resort in Serra San Bruno Provice of Vibo Valentia' closest international airport Le Mezia Terme LOCATIONIL MOSCARDINO COUNTRY RESORTIn the green heart of the charming Serra San Bruno (VV), a few steps from the famous Certosa, the Moscardino Country Resort emerges, a unique place where hospitality is combined with culture, art and the history of one of the most beautiful cities In Calabria. The tourist structure, newly built, is characterized by a harmonious fusion of traditional places, simplicity and refinement with every kind of comfort.The Resort has 39 rooms suitable for larger families, a restaurant and bar.Our flagship is the restaurant made of local food and wine excellences. Complete the tourist offer a SPA with attached wellness center and body treatments, gym and outdoor jacuzzi. For sports lovers, the resort has a basketball court and a panoramic terrace, indoor parking, shuttle service, free wi-fi. Finally, the structure has a meeting and cinema room.Serra San Bruno:http://www.turiscalabria.it/website/?lang=en&categoria=/where/parco-serre/&view_type=s&id=183&title=serra-san-bruno.htmlABOUT THE WORKSHOPRhythm is the Cure is a 7-day intensive healing workshop featuring Southern Italian ritual dances used as music and dance therapy for centuries throughout the Mediterranean. Participants will learn the unique style of tambourine playing and the ancient healing trance dance of the tarantella, used to cure the mythical bite of the tarantula.This workshop focuses on releasing blockages of energies and breaking the imaginary "spiderweb"of the subconscious mind.Through this work, Alessandra has helped transform many people's lives through the years.SPECIAL FEATURE THIS YEAR:Authentic Tarantella Calabrese folk music, dance, and Tamburello tought by local folk Musician Masters and Ethnomusicologists, and instrument makers including Francesco BraccioAlso featuring…Tamburello workshop with Vittorio de Paolo, Gabriele Pappaletto, and members of Officina Kalabra will explain the histories of folk music including history and traditions of Calabria$850 with special early Bird discount of $100 if you register by December 1 About the new location:This special healing workshop will take place in the magical land of seers, mystics, and healers. In a new location surrounded by beautiful rich forests in the famous national park of Sierra San Bruno, a mystical land, also famous for its Monestary and its healers. Feeling the power of the Earth and ancient trees all around us. Excursions will take place in… The NATIONAL PARK OF SERRA SAN BRUNO including crystal clear water-falls, and a lake. We will visit the SANCTUARY OF LA MADONNA DEL BOSCO (LADY OF THE WOODS). AND LA MADONNA DELLA ACQUA (SPILINGA), a holy shrine located inside a cave, in the forest where a young girl had a vision of Mary where she appeared and healing waters came out of the cave. La Madonna pointed to the cave and to build a chapel for her there and thus the water was sacred and healing. In this sacred location Alessandra will lead her participants in ritual drumming and sacred chants in honor of the Madonna. On the last day we will end our journey on the spectacular beach of Tropea with a drumming ceremony, big celebration, and authentic Calabrese TarantellaThe objectives of the workshop are:--To introduce the participants to an ancientform of music and dance therapy used to cure the mythical bite of the tarantula and to come to understand the healing and stress-relieving effect of these rhythms and dances.--To learn the history of this powerful tambourine style, originally done mainly by women, which dates back to the rites of the Mother Earth Goddess Cybele, now worshiped as the Black Madonna bringing women back in touch with their drumming tradition.--To make the participants feel part of community-healing rituals as they use their bodies in movements that help open the energy points and stay grounded.--To release blockages of emotional and sensual energies through the Pizzica dance of liberation, therefore expelling any feelings of depression and repression. Students will learn the following ritual dances and rhythms:TAMMORRIATA - This is a beautiful, sensual dance from Naples danced with castanets to the rhythm of the large drum, called Tammorra. The movements and rhythm are set to an African beat played in 4/4 time. This powerful dance is done during the rituals held in the summer in honor of the black Madonna, originally ancient rites for the Earth Goddess Cybele.THE PIZZICA TARANTATA - The wild 6/8 rhythm of the Pizzica, played on medium size tambourines that produced a trance-like state beneficial for healing many mental-health disorders and imbalances. Alessandra will lead the participants in a circle dance where they'll create "spider-like" movements on the ground, releasing stress and blockages of sexual energy, as well as traumas and blocked emotions. RITMO E DANZA DI SAN ROCCO (SPINNING DANCE) -This dance, originating in Calabria during the Middle Ages. It was danced during the time of the plague to help people release the overpowering fear of death. Due to the trance-inducing movements and incessant spinning, many people enter ecstatic states during this dance, similar to the Whirling Dervish ceremonies.TARANTELLA CALABRESE – taught by Vittorio de Paola and Anna Maria PuglieseAlessandra ends the sessions ends using the ocean drum creating the sound of waves in a final relaxation invoking the healing power of the water. Using also ancient chants used as an invocation to the healing energy of the sun, the Black Madonna and the Goddess of Water and Love (Yemanja/Madonna del Mare).FOR HER BOOK SEE :https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Journeys-Black-Madonna-Practices/dp/1591433428/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/healing-journeys-with-the-black-madonna-alessandra-belloni/1129099210~PARTICIPANTS ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR WHITE AND/OR RED, AND WOMEN ARE INCOURAGED TO WEAR SKIRTS~Cost of the workshop will be: $ 850.00 Register today!EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT AVAILABLE – email Abelloni@aol.com for more information!PRICESA $150 non-refundable fee is to be paid upon registration. The fee for the workshops is $850 $ 100 discount if you register by December 1.US (which includes all classes but excludes accommodations and meals)PAYMENT SCHEDULEDue upon registration: $150 Registration Fee (Non Refundable)https://www.everbutton.com/pay/4833or https://www.everbutton.com/pay/11323Cost of accommodations including food will which is 3 abundant and excellent meals a day will also include the pick-up and drop off from and to Le Mezia Terme Airport Country Resort in SERRA SAN BRUNO offers its guests a spa bath, sauna and a fitness center, you can enjoy a drink at the bar/lounge, and public spaces have free WiFi. Spa services, a terrace, and a garden are also featured at Il Moscardino Country Resort. The town is named after Saint Bruno of Cologne, who founded the Carthusian Order in 1053 and the Grande Chartreuse, mother house of the Carthusians, near Grenoble, in France. He built the charterhouse of Serra San Bruno in 1095, and died here in 1101.https://www.everbutton.com/pay/4832Workshop Tuition: $700 due June 1https://www.everbutton.com/pay/4832Housing options include 3 spectacular meals: TO BE CONFIRMEDeuro 500 for double roomeuro 600 for single roomThe fee does not include airfare PLEASE REGISTER EARLY - Workshop is limited to 22 studentsPayment may be made by check, credit card or VENMO Checks or money orders must be made payable to Alessandra Belloni Contact us at: ABelloni@aol.com