STREGHERIA AND STRIARIA ARE NOT THE ITALIAN TRADITIONAL WITCHCRAFT
Stregheria is a practice that took shape during the 20th century, especially between the 1960s and 1970s, in Italian-American contexts. It is often linked to the figure of Leo Martello, but it is important to understand that it is not a tradition that arrived intact from Italy.
It is inspired by Italian folklore, but through an American lens: ideas, languages, and spiritual structures that originated and developed in the United States. The result is not an indigenous Italian practice, but a new, syncretic system that reflects the American cultural context much more than that of historical Italian folk tradition.
A central text for Stregheria is Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches by Charles Godfrey Leland. It is a book often referred to as 'the witches' text', but in reality it is a complex and controversial 19th-century work. In it, Leland recounts a myth in which Diana gives birth to Lucifer (also called Dianus) and from their union Aradia is born, a figure presented as the first witch.
According to the story, Aradia is sent to earth to teach witchcraft to humans and pass on knowledge that symbolically opposes the power of the Church and the oppression of the ruling class. It is a powerful narrative, but it should be read for what it is: a literary myth, not proof of a tradition that has actually been handed down over time.
Aradia does not document a historical continuity of Italian witchcraft, but it has had an enormous influence on modern neo-paganism and subsequent esoteric currents, helping to create an imaginary world that today is often confused with tradition.
When talking about Striaria, reference is often made to Dragon Rouge, who claims to have started this journey around 2007, following contacts and revelations received from certain spiritual entities. According to this view, the practice does not stem from an existing tradition, but from what these spirits have communicated over time.
And here there is already an important difference: a practice that has a precise beginning, dating back to the 21st century, cannot be defined as traditional Italian witchcraft. The 2000s — like the 1960s and 1970s — are fully part of a modern context, marked by neo-paganism and contemporary esotericism, not by ancient historical continuity.
It is true that Striaria draws inspiration from elements of Italian folklore, paganism and popular magic. But drawing inspiration does not mean being the same thing. There is a huge difference between referring to an imaginary world and representing a tradition that has actually been handed down.
Another key point is the way in which knowledge is transmitted. In traditional Italian witchcraft, knowledge came from concrete experience: from doing, from seeing others do, from living certain practices within a family or community. There was no revealed system or structure based on mediumship.
In the case of Striaria, however, the origin of the practice is described as the result of spiritual communications and revelations received from invoked entities. This clearly places it in a modern esoteric and spiritual dimension, not in that of traditional Italian witchcraft, which was practical, rooted in everyday life and deeply linked to the historical and social context in which it originated.
