Traditional fiestas in the Salento
The Salento is a fascinating place all year round. Wherever you go in this area, you will definitely not get bored because there is always something to visit or to see here and the 'salentini' always know how to make good use of their time. Even though special events held in the Saiento entertain and fascinate many foreigners and new comers every year, many years ago food sagre, celebrations, festivals and religious rituals originally started as local traditions.
However people here are kind, genuine and hospitable so you are welcome to take part in all the popular events that are held in squares and towns all around the Saiento every year.
This means the Saiento area has managed to preserve local traditions and maintain cultural events throughout the years and this is what makes this land so special and different from other more modern places.
The Saiento is also famous because of the so called 'new pizzica' music and dancing. It is becoming incredibly popular here. Quite often you will hear 'new pizzica7 being played at many food festivals and during other celebrations too. The rhythm and the sound of this kind of music also reflect this land and its people and culture. Wherever you go, whether you stroll around small towns and cities or discover beautiful beaches and picturesque countryside, you will find out the Saiento is not only an ideal spot to have a dip in the sea or to lie in the sun. There is much more to it. Once 'pizzica' was famous because they said this kind of music could cure the poor 'tarantate', the women who had been bitten by poisonous spiders. However 'new pizzica' is different and started because the Saiento is slowly changing. The rhythm of 'new pizzica' is fast and lively.
Every year, a 'new pizzica concert is held in Melpignano during the second half of August. It is called 'La Notte della Taranta' and thousands of people take part in it. It is such a great event that often well-known singers and rock stars perform here. Many other similar concerts are held in other towns in the Saiento every August, but the big concert in Melpignano is definitely the main 'new pizzica event on in this area. However 'Negroamaro' is the most important festival in the Saiento. 'Negroamaro' actually is the name of a well-known kind of wine produced in this area. Up to only a few years ago, Negroamaro was only a blending wine and for more than a century it was mixed to other wines in Europe to improve their quality. The 'Negroamaro, Festival delle culture migranti' (The Negroamaro Culture Festival') is organized by the Lecce Province
Sometimes in this area popular concerts and shows even take place in big 'pietra leccese' quarries.
In this part of the guide you will find a chronological list of the main food festivals and local rituals that take place in the Saiento every year. If you want to always be up to date with all the events on in this area, then take a look at the quiSalento monthly. You can buy it at the newsagent's.
NOVOLI
The 'Focara' fire celebrations
In Novoli they call this time 'fire days', because the fiesta, in honour of the Patron Saint Antonio, is celebrated around a focara, which is a bonfire made with vine branches from the plants that have just been pruned. It is impressive and during the last few years this 'mountain' has been more than 25 metres high. Religious symbols are placed on top. This ritual takes place every year, on the night between the 16th and the 17th of January. Around 8 p.m., the 'tower' is lit and the firework display starts.
Fire is very often used during rituals in the Salento area. Perhaps this is due to pagan culture and because it symbolises purification and rebirth. It takes several months to prepare this enormous bonfire and several people from Novoli take part in its preparation. Once enough branches have been put together, they start building this huge wooden volcano.
This tradition has been passed down fo years and years and the bundles of wood are put on top by using very long ladders The wood and the ornaments are passed up from one person to the other. The focara is just outside the town and every year thousands of people and pilgrims come here on the evening of the 16th of January, to see the last firewor light up the mountain making it burn. The focara becomes a mix of colours light and fire.
GIURDIGNANO
Hospitality and good dishes to celebrate Saint Giuseppe
During Saint Giuseppe's fiesta, on the 19th of March, big meals are prepared with great care in Giurdignano. Typical Salento dishes are offered to friends, visitors and relations. Everyone is welcome in Giurdignano. In the Salento, especially in the area between Maglie and Otranto, many squares in little towns are filled with local specialities and traditional dishes too. For instance, a very long table is set in the main square in Giurdignano, because a sagra is held here. This remains an old tradition, even though some fear the commercial aspect will eventually predominate. It originally comes from charity to poor people during festivities, but as years went by this tradition also acquired many extra allegorical meanings. For instance, it meant carrying out a solemn commitment or the trying to be on good terms with somebody again. Whoever is invited must not refuse because this is regarded as a way of offending the Saint. The way the table is set and prepared varies from town to town. However the number of dishes is always the same. The quantity is always an odd number, usually thirteen. Secondly, the food is quite similar everywhere and finally the people sitting around the table symbolically represent Saint Giuseppe, the apostles and other Saints. At home tables are lovingly covered with dishes as though they were little altars. All the best things in houses are used, such as the most beautiful embroidered table cloth, flowers, decorations, ornaments, etc. The food is neat and tidy and on every table there always is a little statue of Saint Giuseppe or a picture of him.According to the ritual, when the Madonna, Baby Jesus, Saint Elizabeth, Saint Anna, and so on, sit at the tables, only Saint Giuseppe can begin the meal after banging a stick and only after he tastes the food then everybody else can join in. If Saint Giuseppe moves on to another dish then all the other Saints must do the same thing. The main dish (even though there are many different versions of it) is the 'massa massa
This dish can be served hot or cold and is made especially to offer to friends and relations. A part from the massa
In Giuggianello and Cassiano, a small traditional sagra is organised in the evening on the 18th of March. Other similiar celebrations go on in Diso, Minervino, Nociglia, Palmariggi, Poggiardo and Sanarica.
GALLIPOLI
Solemn processions by the sea
The sea, worship and people. In Gallipoli, the Settimana Santa rituals take place in the narrow alleyways in the old town. This part of Gallipoli is linked to the more modern area by a bridge that was built at the beginning of the 19th century. During this ritual, religion, the history of Gallipoli and the future of its people blend. In this festivity, the atmosphere is solemn, mystical and nearly surreal. All is quiet and calm, especially on Easter Thursday. If you want to watch these rituals you should not just be curious about them but also respect them.
These traditions are still carried out, especially thanks to the work of religious groups. They were originally started thanks to ancient craft-guilds, such as fishermen, cask-craftsmen, tailors, shoe makers, etc. Each tradition has its own colours, symbols and a precise role during the long week celebrating Christ's death and resurrection.
The rituals begin on the Friday that falls three days before Palm Sunday when the first procession takes place. It is organized by the 'Maria Ss. Del Monte Carmelo e della Misericordia' religious congregation. At twelve o'clock, people in Gallipoli take part in the long procession during which the statue of the Madonna (dressed in black to indicate mourning) is slowly carried from the Chiesa del Carmine to the Chiesa di Sant' Agata, midst the sound of trumpets and drums.
In the Chiesa of Sant'Agata, mass is celebrated. Then the statue is carried through the streets in town and stops close to the walls above the port so that the Madonna can bless the sea and the fishermen.
On the evening of the Easter Thursday, two by two, the members of the religious groups visit the burial-grounds going round all the Churches. You might meet them in the streets in the old town. You can recognise them because they wear white hoods and coloured cloaks. However the most interesting and fascinating part of the rituals takes place during the evening of the Easter Friday, when the members of the religious congregations carry statues representing religious scenes on their shoulders, i Misteri. This procession is incredibly long and continues until dawn. Thjis part of the ritual follows strict rules that have been passed down through the centuries by the members of the Brotherhoods.
The sound of a troccola announces the beginning of the procession. It is a wooden instrument and its sound is not unlike that of castanets. Big lamps light up the procession while trumpets are played to symbolise the sound of the Virgin's crying, while drums are meant to sound like gasps. This procession is very slow and accompanied by solemn funeral march tunes. Only at dawn statues are brought back to their Churches. Finally, early in the morning, on the Easter Saturday, the moving Desolata procession begins. It starts from the Chiesa della Purita, along the walls facing the sea. The statue of the Virgin is behind the pure gold urn containing the Cristo Morto, and after having been carried round the old town, the procession stops on the walls one last time so that the sea and its people can be blessed once more.
CALIMERA
Across the magic stone in the Chiesetta di Santu Vitu
Easter Monday in Calimera, which is one of the towns part of the Grecia Salentina area, is an example of how the Salento is the land of the Religious and the Profane, faith, devotion and local traditions. In Calimera, on Easter Monday, celebrations, music playing and dancing go on nearby the chiesetta di San Vito, close to the entrance to the old Calimera wood. Inside the Church, you will see a big limestone block with a hole in the centre. It looks like it has not been placed there and is part of the ground in this area instead. According to a well-known old Calimera ritual wishing fertility and health, you must kneel down and put your whole body through the rock. The space you should go through is actually quite narrow. However, they say that, surprisingly, anyone can go through the hole if they have faith. In ancient times, this tradition was a way to push away negative energy and begin a new life, hoping to achieve fertility and strength.
CALIMERA
Coloured paper lamps
This ritual is still well-known and popular today. The lamp fiesta is held in Calimera on the 21st of June, Saint Luigi's day. The 21st of June is also the summer solstice day, so celebrations are held in honour of light because this is the longest day of the year. It probably dates back to the Greek-Byzantine period. Every year, adults and children make lamps by using materials like reeds and coloured tissue paper. Throughout the years, the 'calimeresi', the inhabitants of Calimera, have become so good at making them that many different shapes of lamps are produced, for instance stars, ships, planes, horses, etc. During the evening, all the beautiful lamps are hung up along the streets in the old town. They are lit up inside and therefore look even more spectacular. Several cultural events and food sagre are organised. This fiesta goes on for two days.
SANNICOLA
The rites of spring in 'Lu Masciu'
'Lu masciu' means May. This outdoor celebration is held near Sannicola, on Gallipoli's northern coast. It is usually celebrated during the second or third week of May, but ask for further information in the town. This fiesta comes from an ancient tradition and Sannicola decided to start it again about ten years ago. It is a big spring
The view from the building is breathtaking. The colours of the sea mix with the colours of the Serra. When the procession gets here, music is played, dancing starts and you can taste food too. You can get to the Serra of San Mauro from the Gallipoli-Lido Conchiglie coast road, turning inland towards Sannicola. This little Church is very close to the well-known 'Rio bo' night club.
Lights celebrating Santa Domenica The fiesta of Saint Domenica, in Scorrano, is full of lights and colours. Every year, this event is celebrated from the th to the 7th of July.
Unique lighting artists and craftsmen from Scorrano have become well-known all over the world, from Sanremo to Milan , from Japan to the United States Naples
These decorations used to be lit up with oil. Then along came carbide, and finally, thanks to electricity, wonderful decorations started being produced. What is so special about the Salentine lights is the famous galleries. They are very long and impressive therefore anybody who walks through them will feel like a King. These structures are formed from pieces of pine wood that have curved and geometrical shapes. Thousands and thousands of small coloured light bulbs are placed according to old techniques, forming drawings and patterns that look like enormous coloured crochets. The 'paratori', the lighting artists, from the Salento have become so good at this that their elaborate works of art are even exported. Designs sometimes reproduce entire monuments, frame them or surround them. The patterns even often represent scenes of the Saints' lives. Therefore these designs are realistic. The lights stand out against the dark blue evening sky and impress us because, even though a simple idea, the final effect is breathtaking.
CASTRO
Firework displays in the bay during the fishermens' festival
The fireworks here are incredible because their colours reflect upon the green water in Castro's bay. This fireworks display is the best part of the 'Madonna del
It originally started in 1896, after a miraculous event helped calm the sea water, letting the fishermen go back to Castro's tiny port. Until just a few years ago, this port was very small and only a few boats could be moored here. Since then, the traditional mass held on a boat in the port started. This was followed by the just as fascinating sea procession. The statue of the Madonna, dressed in laces and decorations, is carried under a canopy, followed by the boats, up to an inlet near Acquaviva and then up to Zinzulusa, along Castro's coastline. When the statue is brought back to the port, at about ten o'clock in the evening, the popular fireworks display begins.
During the summertime, many food festivals are held in Castro too, such as the one that celebrates fish such as anchovies, sardines and mackerels. It is held at the end of August in thc area around the port.
GALLIPOLI
The fishermens' faith in Saint Cristina
When experience and mastery are just not enough, fishermen in Gallipoli call upon Santa Cristina for help and protection. They look towards the Chiesa della Purita, where the statue of Saint Cristina stands and cross themselves before going out to sea. However Saint Cristina does not only protect fishermen but the entire town too. Every year, from the 23rd to the 25th of July, celebrations are held in honour of Saint Cristina to thank her for having saved the town from a cholera epidemic in 1867.They say the plague was so severe that even the little dog on the lower part of her statue disappeared because it could not stand seeing so much pain. During the celebrations, in the morning, jolly bands start playing in the streets and the statue of Saint Cristina is carried through the main roads in Gallipoli. The most awaited event is the traditional cuccagna a mare game. During the afternoon, young and energetic men from Gallipoli, mostly fishermen, meet in the area around the port and compete against each other, trying to climb up a pole in the sea. They have to grab the little flag placed on the end of it. Do not miss the fireworks display. It is held at midnight, on the last day of the fiesta.
MONTESARDO (Alessano) .
The 'Lu porcu pri-pri' festival
This food festival has a really funny and interesting name. It is called 'Sagra de la pastafatt'a casa e de lu porcu paesanu Pri-pri'. This sagra takes place every year in Montesardo, a small town close to Alessano. Its name originally comes from the years when pigs used to be bred in the village square and then killed during festivals. Pri-pri was Pri-pro's and Pripra's brother. These three pigs grew up in the town's square. The people in Montesardo voted for which one should be sacrificed during the fiesta, and Pri-pri was chosen... However this event is not well-known only because of anecdotes like this one, but it is also popular because of its genuine products and its great variety of dishes. Here you can taste pork and homemade pasta. You will also find traditional dishes, such as marenna, a mix of fried bread, turnip tops and chickpeas, lu ranu passatu, le pittule, fried little shapes made out of bread dough, fritta, tasty foje reste, wild chicory, and zavirne, all typical wild vegetables. Do not forget to try the wine. All the dishes here should be tasted while sipping the special 'de la Parduidda' wine, made with grapes from the Salento area. This sagra is held in the old town of Montesardo
SPONGANO
The "cunserva mara"
The 'cunserva mara' is a traditionally-made Salentine paste that is spread on bread or added to pasta. Every year, on the 14tn of August, the cunserva mara festival is held in Spongano. Typical cunserva mara ingredients are tomatoes, hot peppers, basil, onions and salt. On hot and windy summer days in Spongano, all these ingredients are mixed and crushed together in big terracotta bowls. Making this paste takes a very long time, since it must be left under the hot Salento sun and mixed every day for about a month. In the evening, this mixture must be brought inside to make sure it doesn't get damp. Once, women from the Salento used to prepare big quantities of this special kind of paste and add it too dishes on cold winter days. Some women in Spongano and other towns in the Salento still do this. There are three kinds of cunserva mara, according to how hot you want it. 'Mara' means hot in dialect. At the sagra, it is sold in little jars and you can also taste it on bread if you prefer. The cunserva mara food festival is held in the main square in town, piazza Vittoria
CANNOLE
The 'municeddha' and the 'cuzzari'
Municeddha is a very (asly and expensive kind of shellfish. A kilogram of municeddha can cosl up lo 20 or 25 euros.
The salentini love eating this kind of fish. It can be fried, cooked with onions and herbs browned in oil, aromaliscd with bay leaves or tomato sauce or grilled.
In Cannole, a small town only a few kilometres away from Otranto, the Fcslu della Municeddha is celebrated every year for four days, during the week before the 15th of August. The inhabitants of Cannole are actually often called 'cuzzari', that means 'snail pickers'. People here say this is the most important 'snail' festival in the whole of the South of Italy
Every year, about 250 people take part in it and it is very successful and popular. Thanks to the support from the Cerceto Pro Loco, the big sagra area is set up, with long tables and comfortable stools. During the afternoon, you can visit the splendid and nearby Masseria Torcito, that has recently been restored. Every evening you can listen to different bands playing here.
MARITTIMA (DISO)
The fig festival, the "Festa delta fica"
The fig festival is held every year on the 16 of August, on the outskirts of Marittima (area 167), a little town part of the Diso area. It is considered to be a fruit exhibition that is well-known abroad too. Marittima is twinned with Vezenobres, a French town famous for the 'Journees mediterranees de la figue'. The fig festival in Marittima is a traditional event and it celebrates all the different varieties of figs produced in the Salento. Its name is actually ironic too since, in Italian, figs also refer to the 'sweet female fruit'.
This food festival is celebrated round an old Fica maranciana tree. During the sagra, figs picked at dawn, fig jam, fruit cakes and the popular figs stuffed with toasted almonds are free for visitors. This is your best chance to take a look at and taste the best varieties of figs in the Salento area. Try lumincelle, that are green outside and white inside, melanzana figs, shaped a bit like aubergines except dark red inside, albalunga kings, that are flatter, black on the outside and red inside, and so on. There are 60 varieties of figs in the vast area from Latiano to Santa Maria di Leuca.
CANNOLE
The 'sword dance' celebrating Saint Rocco
This is one of the most fascinating events in the Salento. Celebrations in honour of Saint Rocco take place during the night between the 15th and 16th of August, in Torrepaduli, a small town part of the Ruffano area. This is your chance to find out more about the popular pizzica dance. You will hear the sound of tambourines in the background and you can also admire the famous ' sword dance' here. During this fiesta, religious traditions and everyday life happily come together and the celebrations take place in the square in front of the Church of San Rocco
Many pilgrims from nearby towns sometimes come to Torrepaduli on foot and sleep on the steps in front of the Church, awaiting the first mass the next morning. Because for centuries these men and women spent a long time waiting on the steps before the Church, the so called ronde tradition began. It is based on improvised music and dancing. As the sun goes down, on the 15 of August, the Sanctuary's doors close and you will hear the sound of drums being played. This means the longest night in the whole of the Salento has just begun. Celebrations continue until dawn. The square in front of the Church is crowded with people. Musicians, pizzica and 'sword dance' performers are spread all around the square. The 'sword dance' is also known as danza scherma and this tradition was originally passed down by the gypsies. This kind of dance is elegant and gallant. Sword dance performers look into each others' eyes. They look concentrated and pretend they have a sword or a sharp knife in their hands. They act out a duel, while the rhythm of drums in the background gets faster and faster and the dancers get more and more tired. Just like pizzica, the sword dance has precise strict rules that must be followed in order to respect traditions faithfully. For example dancers have got to wait for their turn before entering the circle formed by the performers, because the ronda is considered a circle embracing energy and power. Secondly, older people should always go first because they are more familiar with traditions in general and with this dance in particular. Dancing stops at 4 o'clock in the morning, as a form of respect towards Saint Rocco, because at this time rituals in his honour start again. If you want to take part in this fiesta bear in mind it is better to reach Torrepaduli early in the afternoon, because if you go there during the evening you might be stuck in a traffic jam also since the main road leading to the square in front of the Sanctuary is always crowded with people in the evening.
OTRANTO
Remembering Otranto's 800 martyrs
During the Patron Saint festival in Otranto, the town's 800 martyrs are remembered and commemorated. Every year, from the 13th to the 15th of August, people living in Otranto remember the time when the town was overrun and attacked by the Turks in 1480. The town itself was not actually defended by Spanish troops, who were supposed to defend Otranto, but by the 'otrantini' themselves. Mostly fishermen, artisans and farmers protected the town from the raids.
That day, in 1480, it is said that 'no' was shouted out 800 times, because in front of Acmet Pascia, 800 hundred people from Otranto refused to deny their Christian faith and were then beheaded on the Minerva hill. Now the martyrs' reliquaries are kept inside the Cathedral, in big shrines, in the altar to the right of the main one. Even though centuries have gone by, you will find looking at these bones is still very moving.Every year, on the 14tn of August, a symbolic shrine containing a small part of these remains is carried through the old town as part of a procession. However the days in honour of Otranto's martyrs resemble many other local festivals too, because a part from religious traditions, stalls and street lights are on display and bands come to play in Otranto. It must be said the best part of this fiesta takes place on the 14th of August, after one o'clock in the morning. Walk to the top of the castle walls a bit earlier than one o'clock in order to admire the marvellous fireworks display. Fireworks are shot up from the sea and make the dark blue water and the sky look coloured too.
MELPIGNANO
The 'Notte delta Taranta"s new kind of pizzica
The 'Notte della Taranta' is a traditional concert held every year during the second half of August. New pizzica is so popular that thousands of people come to Melpignano to celebrate this event, even though it began quite recently, in 1998. Many rock stars and singers are often involved in Melpignano's concert too, like The Police's drummer, Stewart Copeland, Noa, from Israel, Nabil Salameh, from Palestine, Daniele Sepe, Gianna Nannini, a famous Italian singer, Franco Battiato, Giovanni Lindo Ferretti, Ambrogio Sparagna, Francesco De Gregori, Piero Pelu. The big concert in Melpignano is an incredibly important part of Salento's musical culture and it is also the most important musical event out of many other small concerts held in the Lecce Province
The 'Notte della Taranta Folk Orchestra' went on its first tour in Europe with Stewart Copeland, in summer 2004. After that, several concerts were held in Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, in Rome in 2005 for the Notte Bianca, in Piazza San Marco in Venice and finally in China in 2006. There are at least fifty folk music bands in the Salento area.
The 'Canzoniere Grecanico', thanks to Rina Durante, began research and recovery during the seventies and after this several bands formed. During the 2004 edition of the 'Notte della Taranta', Alessia Tondo started the concert. Then she was only twelve but she had already sung a part in a song by the Sud Sound System band, called 'Le radici ca tieni. Today this tune is also played by the Orchestra Popolare, conducted by Ambrogio Sparagna. In squares all across the Salento you can listen to bands such as Agora, Aioresis, Ajara, Alla Bua, Arakne Mediterranea, Aramire, Argalio, Ariafrisca, Ariacorte, Arsura, Asteria, Athanahton, Calanti, Canta Cunti, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, Cribanti, Criamu, Crifiu, Ghetonia, Kalascima, Kumenei, La Taricata , Lu Rusciu Nosciu, Macarimiri, Menamenamd, Meramenhir, Niuri Te Sule, Officina Zoe, Original Salento Tarantae, Salentorkestra, Terre Neure, Uccio Aloisi Gruppu, Xanti Yaca, Zimbarie.
The local fiesta, Saint Oronzo
This is the most village-like fiesta amongst all the Patron Saint festivals within the Lecce Province
It is celebrated in honour of Lecce Lecce Lecce
For three days, everything in Lecce Lecce Lecce
On the 24th of August, in the afternoon, a solemn procession moves through the town's streets. Many people take part in it and ahead you will see the statues representing Saint Oronzo, the Blessed Joint Patron Saints Giusto and Fortunato and the Bishop. The procession comes to an end in Piazza Duomo. Finally, on the parvis in front of the Church, the archbishop gives a speech.
CARPIGNANO SALENTINO Dancing and wine tasting at the 'Festa te lu Mieru'
The 'Festa te lu Mieru' is held every year in Carpignano Salentino, during the first week-end in September, for three or four days. It was first held in 1974. It started thanks to Eugenio Barba and Odin Teatret. They met up here because of one of the best avant-garde theatre groups in Europe , in search of traditions and new ideas in this 'land of remorse'. During this fiesta, wine is drunk in the town's squares and it is considered a 'magical' drink because it makes people feel less embarrassed and helps them start the famous tarantate dance. Close to the stadium, during the evening, the name of the best local wine of the previous year is announced. Here you will be able to drink as much wine as you want and you can also taste typical dishes. For example taste a very special hot panino roll with ricotta scante, which is a special kind of paste made in the Salento, anchovies and hot chilli pepper oil. You can also try 'pieces' of horse meat with sauce or frise. Finally there is lots of lacciu, pieces of celery that locals love dipping into wine, to avoid getting drunk immediately. Celebrations go on all night long.
MURO LECCESE/ORTELLE
The excellent quality of 'Mister Porcu' - roast pork
At the end of October, delicious roasted pork is prepared with care in two towns in the Salento area. The 'Sagra de lu porcu meu is held in Muro Leccese, while the 'Sagra del maiale\ the 'Pork Food Festival', takes place in Ortelle. Both these food festivals originally started because of traditional Salentine autumn fairs, when local farmers used to exchange, buy and sell goods, and gather up enough supplies to live through the long winter. This food festival began because, in the past, people from other towns used to arrive the day before the fair and then camp during the night. In the square, they often roasted pork to have a good meal and keep warm. This slowly became a tradition here. In 2005, in Ortelle, the 'Maiale Salentino Or.Vi.' quality standard was established. Animals must be bred following traditional methods, in order to guarantee high production and quality levels and preserve the historical and cultural importance of the food sagre. During pork food festivals, you will only taste local meat, since meat from othe areas in not allowed. Pork is prepared in several different ways, that is, boiled, roasted or cooked with sauce. Finally, during the first week of August 2006, another food sagra, celebrating other products based on pork (still according to the Or.Vi. quality standard) will take place in Ortelle.
LEVERANO
The 'Vino Novello' festival
The wine festival in Leverano began in honour of the so called 'vino Novello' (literally 'new wine'). It is brightly coloured and different from other varieties of wine because it is left to ferment, but the grapes remain whole so that only a part of the sugar turns into alcohol.
Leverano is one of the best wine producing towns in the Salento and the vino Novello festival is held during the 1st week of November. Celebrations go on in the old part of the town, close to the outstanding tower that Frederick
This fiesta lasts three days . During the first day, in the afternoon, you will see a parade displaying traditional costumes once worn by ladies, knights, footmen and pageboys. Musicians and street performers are spread all around the old town too so this event is a way of celebrating wine, culture and music too. Do not miss the funny and gripping wine drinking competition. All the drinkers have a funnel hanging from their necks. Also go and watch another competition between hot pepper eaters. Finally, conferences about grape varieties, wine production and reappraisal of local wines are on too.
SPONGANO
Saint Vittoria's 'panare' A traditional ritual
The 'Panare di Santa Vittoria' festival is a special event held every year in Spongano, on the 22nd of December. It is a part of the celebrations held in honour of Spongano's Patron Saint, Santa Vittoria.This tradition is also part of the rituals used by farmers to wish for a good harvest.
It is linked to olive-growing that here is particularly productive. The oil mills make this special kind of big panare. 'Panare'is a local dialect expression that refers to baskets made by plaiting canes together.
These casks are then filled with sansa, that is the residual product left over from olive grinding, and finally decorated with garlands, coloured ribbons, flowers, fruit and palm branches.
Once they are ready, panare are then all collected together creating a unique procession in which nearly all the people living in Spongano take part. These coloured decorated baskets are then placed on small trucks, carts and tractors that carry the panare to a place where they are burned. Sansa is highly inflammable. After this, celebrations in the square begin with fireworks displays music and dancing.
ZOLLiNO
The Fire Festival and the 'striare'
This event is held in winter and symbolically celebrates the end or the beginning of a cycle. The Zollino Fire Festival proves its people are still tied to old traditions. This fiesta was started in 1978 by Giovanni Pellegrino, an imaginative citizen from Zollino, in years when it appeared traditions such as small bonfires, the so called 'focareddhe', started on street crossings in winter and many other popular rituals were slowly being forgotten in the Salento. Zollino's festival is a non-religious tradition that started around fires when lots of emigrants came back during the Christmas holidays, to meet and greet their family and friends. Since then the 'Festa del fiioco' (literally 'Fire Festival') has become a big local event. It is organized by the Bottega del Teatro and is held every year, on the 27th and 28tn of December. Here you will find dancing, street performers, music and typical dishes such as sceblasti, a well-known Griko dish which is a soft stuffed loaf. During the first evening of the fiesta you can watch the theatre show called 'II processo alia striara', which is about trials held against witches during the Middle Ages. 'Striara' is a dialect term referring to witches who, according to popular beliefs, turned into cats and went by the sea to dance on the sand on full moonlit nights. It is said that many of them live in the Salento even during the 3rd millennium...
