That sunny morning of 10 August 1535 there was great excitement throughout the Charterhouse. The monks, the landowners and the many workers employed by them were mobilized to face an extraordinary event.
Nothing to do with the celebration of Saint Lawrence to whom the monastery was named after. Coincidentally, on that day of celebration even the arrival of the Emperor was announced and not just him, but the entire army in tow too. Giving hospitality to all and in an adequate way to the sovereign wasn’t an easy challenge, but the Carthusians embraced it with Christian resignation and great commitment.
Charles V arrived in Padula after the historic, decisive victory against the infamous Khayr el Din, the Barbarossa leader of the Barbary pirates who sown so much blood and destruction in the Mediterranean. On his way up the Peninsula with the victorious army, he decided to make a stop in Padula, certain that he could stop and spend the night in the Charterhouse to let his men rest. And the Carthusians were up to the expectations and the dimension of the commitment.
The emperor was welcomed with all the honors and a table was set up with the best products from the monastery's gardens and farms. The large colored majolica kitchen worked at full speed throughout the day and not only for the most illustrious guest and his courtiers, but to feed the entire army, which encamped around the Charterhouse.
Among the huge quantity of food cooked on the occasion, a gargantuan “frittata” of a thousand eggs stood out. An absolute record at the time.
Aside from the abundant food, the sovereign had to be content with spending the night in a monk's cell, where was exceptionally allowed the use of linen sheets. A welcome, for himself and for his men, that made Charles V very grateful and that he rewarded, after leaving Padula, with the recognition of some other privilege besides those already enjoyed by the monks of the San Lorenzo Charterhouse .
To commemorate that historic event, for twenty-five years in Padula, every 10 August, the event of the Thousand Egg Frittata is repeated, with a festival that attracts visitors from all over Campania.
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