From Coastal Grandmother to the Nancy Meyers aesthetic, TikTok users are always looking for the next big trend that will define the upcoming season. For fall, they’re pulling out their headscarves, making large pots of pasta, and dabbling in healing potions. That’s right, this fall is all about embodying the cozy lifestyle of everyone’s favorite witch: Strega Nona.
The trend is inspired by the beloved 1975 children’s book, Strega Nona, written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola. Translating to “Grandma Witch,” Strega Nona—a benevolent old Italian woman who lives in a town in Calabria—is the book’s central character.
She has a “magic touch” that she uses to heal the people in her community of minor ailments. But when Strega Nona’s apprentice Big Anthony attempts to use her magically refilling pasta pot to impress the townsfolk, he botches the spell and nearly floods the entire town with pasta—until Strega Nona returns to save the day.
While Strega Nona may seem like an unlikely character to become the next TikTok sensation, users of the app appreciate her particular brand of coziness. Strega Nona’s simple lifestyle of conjuring spells and making pasta is one social media users aspire to achieve this fall. Even the book’s color palette, which features the rich earth tones of the Italian countryside, evokes a specific cozy atmosphere.
So how does one actually have a Strega Nona fall? Margaret Duncan, who has helped popularize the trend on TikTok, has some ideas. In one of her videos, which has amassed more than 30 thousand views, Duncan suggests a few ways to participate in this trend. Some ideas include: taking time to appreciate the magic of the season, making a big pot of pasta to share with loved ones, believing in your magical abilities, and—of course—not leaving Big Anthony alone with your special pot.
In another video, Duncan shared her personalized Strega Nona autumn bucket list. This fall, she encourages participants of the trend to pick a recipe for a specific pasta dish and aim to master it by January, spend an unplugged afternoon in nature, make love potions with friends, convene with the moon, thrift a Strega Nona-inspired wardrobe, enjoy time in your snug home, and go to the pumpkin patch (with Big Anthony!).