Creator of 'Strega Nona Fall' Calls Witch-Inspired Trend the ‘Antithesis of Brat Summer’ — Here’s Why (Exclusive)

"You just stay in your house and you eat your pasta," the 'Strega Nona Fall' creator tells PEOPLE of the viral TikTok trend, in contrast to Charli xcx's brat summer

'Tis the cozy, carbohydrate-filled season!

Move over brat summer because a new season is upon us — and it's called 'Strega Nona Fall,' a trend born from a viral TikTok video by Danni Capalbo, who was inspired by Tomie de Paola's 1975 folktale of the same name.

For those unfamiliar with the Italian storybook, which translates to "Grandmother Witch," the titular character is a Calabrian enchantress who charms her neighbors with her magic pasta pot. One day, she recruits a young boy who botches the spell and causes the village to flood with noodles.

While the plot sounds quite disastrous upon reading, Capalbo was inspired by the overall fuzzy, stay-at-home aesthetic of the folktale and the scrumptious subject at the heart of the story: pasta. In other words, Strega Nona Fall is the exact opposite of the Charli xcx-prompted phenomenon.

"It is the antithesis of brat summer," Capalbo, 28, tells PEOPLE exclusively of Strega Nona Fall's "warm and cozy" vibe in comparison to the out-on-the-town, "It girl" energy brat summer embodies. Simply put, she says "you just stay in your house and you eat your pasta."

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The Strega Nona Fall aesthetic encapsulates many elements including a color palette, a way of life — and of course, fashion reminiscent of the witch that inspired the trend (no, it doesn't include green). For those interested in following, Capalbo broke down the "starter pack."

"A cauldron and a headscarf and a good apron ... and brown. Everything brown!" she emphasizes, referencing the book's illustrations that include "muted fall tones" on each page. "And eating pasta," she's sure to add of the season's vibe.

As for Strega Nona-inspired music? "Lana Del Rey would be more her energy," Capalbo says without hesitation.

The Boston native tells PEOPLE that the Strega Nona lifestyle aligns with her own because "wearing brown and eating pasta" is what she says is "basically my day-to-day." Furthermore, she says the titular character "really embodies" her own identity.

"She eats pasta, she's a little witch and she's from Calabria. That is me in a nutshell," admits Capalbo, who says she relates to the enchantress on "spiritual level" because her family is from the same region in Italy.

Basically, if you like pasta, this seasonal trend is for you. "I probably eat pasta for dinner at least four times a week, so her and I are just very much one and the same," she adds of relatability to the witch.

Related: 'Brat' Green — Summer's Biggest Color Trend — Proves That the '90s Grunge Aesthetic Is So Back

Like all seasons, there is a particular timeframe for Strega Nona Fall. According to Capalbo, it begins when summer is over and "ends after Thanksgiving," she says — and the reason for that is obvious. "Because then after Thanksgiving it's Christmas and Mariah Carey season," she makes clear.

Capalbo also initiated an unofficial holiday tied to the trend, which was celebrated with an Italian feast with pals on Sept. 27 and will be observed annually. "I had all of my friends come over ... and we had a Strega Nona dinner," she says.

Related: Have a Brat (Book) Summer with These Brat Color-Coded Reads

"Now we decided it's going to be our thing that we do every year," Capalbo explains. "I made meatballs and lasagna and spaghetti and every Italian thing that you can think of ... cannolis and everything! We had everyone over and that was our kickoff to fall."

Naturally, with her newfound viral trend-setting skill, Capalbo is already starting to look ahead to the winter season, but hasn't thought of a character that "would personify" it just yet.

She concludes, "I'll have to start thinking now and start planning."

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