“Notte della Taranta” and Other Popular Festivals: Salento’s Folklore

Anyone visiting Salento during the summer months quickly realizes that, beyond its dreamlike beaches and golden-stone villages, there’s a deeper soul beating to the rhythm of tambourines. It’s the heart of Salento’s folklore, which bursts forth between July and September in a whirlwind of festivals, ancient rituals, collective dances, and nights lit by fire and music. The most anticipated event? Undoubtedly Notte della Taranta—the Night of the Tarantula—an emblem of an identity that never ceases to fascinate.

But Salento is more than just one great open-air concert: it’s a mosaic of traditions that, from Lecce to the smallest inland towns, tells the story of community, faith, and festivity.

Notte della Taranta: a collective ritual that unites

Each year, between mid-August and the end of the month, Salento prepares to host one of Italy’s most beloved cultural events: La Notte della Taranta. Born in 1998, it has grown into a festival that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world.

The beating heart of the event is the final concert in Melpignano, a small village just a few kilometers from Lecce, where traditional music meets contemporary sounds, international guests, and bold fusions of rock, jazz, and electronica. Each edition is led by a different Maestro Concertatore, who reinterprets the songs of Salento’s folk tradition through a modern lens—without ever losing their essence.

At the core of it all is the hypnotic rhythm of the pizzica, a traditional dance once believed to “heal” women said to be bitten by the taranta spider—a symbol of pain turned into liberation through movement and music.

If you’re staying in Lecce or nearby, even just attending one stop on the Festival’s traveling tour, which brings music and celebration to dozens of Salento villages, is a must. People dance, sing, eat together in town squares, creating an atmosphere that’s as authentic as it is contagious.

Patron saint festivals: lights, devotion, and tradition

While La Notte della Taranta is the most publicized side of Salento’s folklore, the patron saint festivals represent its deepest spiritual and cultural roots. In every town, the celebration of the local saint is a cherished moment, anticipated all year long and involving the whole community.

The stars of the show are the breathtaking luminarie—elaborate light displays that transform streets into glowing tunnels of color. At night, accompanied by the music of marching bands, the lights switch on in what feels like a sacred moment of collective wonder.

One of the most impressive celebrations is Sant’Oronzo in Lecce, which takes place at the end of August and lights up the historic center with processions, fireworks, and live concerts. But every town has its own tradition, its own food specialties, and symbolic rituals that reveal the soul of this vibrant region.

Food and ancient rituals: the flavor of festivity

In Salento, a celebration also means celebrating food. The many local food festivals (sagre) are events where taste, community, and tradition come together. From the Puccia Festival to the “Municeddha” (snail) Festival, each gathering is a trip through flavors of the past—simple, genuine dishes served in the town square, often paired with live folk music and spontaneous dancing.

Alongside these festivals, ancient rural rituals still live on—like the bonfires of Saint Anthony or the Focare di San Giuseppe. These huge fires, lit in town squares or countryside fields, mark seasonal transitions and celebrate the cycle of life with gestures passed down for generations.

A Salento that welcomes, tells stories, and involves everyone

If you stay in Lecce or nearby during the summer, you have the rare chance to experience all of this not as a spectator, but as an active participant. Folklore here is never just a show—it’s daily life, shared identity, and heartfelt emotion. Joining a village festival, watching a pizzica band play under the stars, or sharing a traditional dish on a paper plate becomes the most authentic way to connect with the spirit of Salento.

Whether it’s in the dead of night or under the blazing summer sun, with tambourines echoing through narrow alleys and smiling faces inviting you to join in the dance, Salento’s folklore welcomes every visitor with a promise: to feel part of something unforgettable.