Historic reconstruction of probably first landing on Isola Della Banana.

Continued excavation during the fall 2004 season (lunar sign of the nutmeg) suggest early contact with Dutch traders. Antique tiles of the type associated with the area of Delft have been uncovered at the base of rooms at the Tempio della Melanzane. In Holland, such tiles were used to form a baseboard protection against mice. Since there are of course no vermin on Isola Della Banana, archeologists speculate that both the ceramic materials and their unusual floor-level installation may mark this contact.

Current imports are more commonly of chocolate and schnapps.

Isola Della Banana is located in the Gulf of Good Will, 230 nautical miles from the coast of Terra Incognita Tropicana. The island has been the sole property of the Della Banana family since long before the beginning of recorded time.

Island legend suggests that the first Della Bananas to visit the island introduced the pink and yellow parakeets (parrocchetto multicolore) now native to the southern beaches. Cultivation of eggplant and Portobello mushrooms arrived early and have continued through the centuries. The delicate crest of the purple eggplant blossom can still be seen in the mosaics of the ancient, ruined Tempio della Melanzana.

The Studio Della Banana is thought to have been designed by a contemporary (or possibly cousin) of Andreas Palladio. Although no specific documentation is available, oral tradition says that an Italian who claimed to be an architect was a guest of the Della Banana family for several years in the late sixteenth century and is thought to have lived on the island. Name, sex, and city-state of origin of this shadowy figure are all unknown.

On a more recent note, repairs to the flagpole near the present Boola Boola Room uncovered the remains of a primitive single speed Waring Blender, suggesting that an earlier tropical watering hole may be occupied the site. Della Banana archeologists would be delighted to hear from any island visitors who have information on the topic.

Historical Update: Adoration of the Eponym

Many visitors to Isola Della Banana have wondered about the origins of the family name. The answer is simple: either they are named after the attractive yellow fruit that grows abundantly in the tropics, or the fruit is named after this ancient and noble family.

Either way, the six weeks from the beginning of November to the middle of December have long been devoted to celebrations of this yummy treat in all its manifestations. Clad in long yellow slickers, participants parade about the island and perform acts of adoration both spontaneous and scheduled.

Some historians have noted a resemblance to the early Venetian parades that celebrated deliverance from the plague or completion of yet another church or chapel, but most credit the adoration tradition to a much earlier spontaneous uprising of banana fervor that was so much fun everyone decided to do it again .And again. And again. And so on through the ages. By this theory, influence probably traveled from Isola Della Banana to Venice, with a possible detour in Naples for the unloading of fruit. Evidence for this interval of cargo exchange is seen in the Neapolitan character of Punchinello, who is thought to be based on the Della Banana merchant captain, famous both for his Banana Brandy and for his rather large (indeed, banana-esque) nose.

Research into other cargo cults and Della Banana history continues.