The Strega Store

A blood pact under a crimson eclipse. A mark burned into the skin of every chosen daughter. The saga of the Di Luna bloodline begins in Norman-conquered Sicily and follows the strega line across the Atlantic to Brooklyn. Book One of the Luna Strega Trilogy by Nico Pesce.

Paperback & Kindle · All markets

Three sisters. Five families. The Di Luna bloodline finds its footing in mid-century America — and the Lupa's pact reaches into the world of La Cosa Nostra. Coming September 2026.

The Cimaruta (sprig of rue) is the oldest protective charm in the strega tradition — a rue branch hung with symbols of the moon, serpent, hand, and key. Worn by the Di Luna women for generations. Search Amazon for "cimaruta pendant sterling silver" to find current listings.

The corno (Italian horn) is worn across southern Italy and Sicily for protection against the malocchio — the evil eye. Curved like a crescent moon, red or gold, hung at the throat. Find sterling and 14k gold versions on Amazon.

The evil eye — malocchio in Italian, mati in Greek — is a curse cast by a glance, willful or not. The blue glass eye amulet deflects it. Worn in Sicily for as long as Sicily has had enemies, which is always.

The mano figa — a fist with thumb between the fingers — is a Neapolitan and Sicilian charm of protection and defiance, especially against the evil eye. Ancient in origin, still worn today.

The foundational text of Italian witchcraft scholarship, first published 1899. Leland's account of the Tuscan strega tradition — Diana, Aradia, and the doctrine of the Old Religion beneath the Church. Required reading.

A practical and scholarly survey of Italian healing and magical practice — the evil eye, protective charms, folk healing, and the traditions that Italian immigrants carried across the Atlantic. Deeply researched, accessibly written.

The definitive history of Norman Sicily — the world of 1099, the conquest, the court, and the extraordinary multicultural kingdom that Roger I built on blood and compromise. The backdrop of Book One.

The definitive account of the five New York crime families — from their Sicilian immigrant roots through the Giuliani prosecutions and the RICO era. Essential context for Book Two of the Luna Strega Trilogy.

The apocryphal text suppressed by every church that encountered it — the story of the Watchers, the Nephilim, the fallen angels who descended to earth and taught women forbidden knowledge. The mythological spine of the Luna Strega universe.

The comprehensive Victorian-era study of the evil eye across Mediterranean and world cultures — history, iconography, protective amulets, and ritual. Still the most thorough single volume on the subject.

The scents of Sicily — citrus groves at dusk, volcanic earth, Mediterranean smoke. Artisan candles in the Italian tradition. Search for blood orange and bergamot for the closest thing to reading by Sicilian firelight.

Black for banishment and protection. Deep red for the blood pact, for the Lupa, for the power that runs through the Di Luna line. Italian folk magic has always worked by candlelight.

Custom-blended scents inspired by the world of the Di Luna bloodline — volcanic earth, ash, Sicilian citrus, wolf's bane. Coming 2026.

A Luna Strega-commissioned Cimaruta in sterling silver — the exact charm worn by the Di Luna women. Details coming 2026.