Entry 54: An Oil Lamp - A Lumera
- Basilia Staltari
- Jun 8
- 1 min read
Location: Calabria, Italy
Date: 1960 and prior
As late as 1960, the Moschilla cottage had not yet been connected to electricity. Instead, the family used a lamp known as ‘a lumera’ for light. This lamp was fueled by old olive oil that was no longer suitable for cooking.
To light the 'lumera', wicks were hand crafted from tightly rolled strips of cotton fabric. A single wick was referred to as 'u micciu'. They would light multiple wicks, or 'micci' when they needed a brighter room.
In the video, Rosanna Trimboli (behind the camera) and her husband, Luigi Caccamo (the narrator), demonstrate and explain how the oil lamp could be removed from its base and carried around from one room to another.
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