The folkloristic tradition of Salento is linked to the numerous patron festivals and the dance of the Pizzica, a phenomenon that has become international thanks to the musical event "La Notte della Taranta".
The Pizzica is a dance with the fast-paced music of the classic tambourines that once accompanied the healing rites of the “tarantate”, namely the women who were believed to have been bitten by the tarantula spider.
The traditional pizzica is danced in pairs, not necessarily made up by a man and a woman. Quite commonly two women dance together, while nowadays it is increasingly rare to observe two men dancing together, although in the past the dance between two men was very more frequent than that between a man and a woman.
A special mention deserves the traditional pizzica-fencing (also called "Dance of the Swords", during San Rocco feast on 16th August in Torrepaduli), in which the pizzica takes the form of a male and "warrior" representation.
In recent years the Pizzica music has assumed the dimension of a cultural phenomenon, with contaminated and modern musical forms, up to become one of Salento most characteristic signs of recognition.
In particular, it is worth mentioning the Notte della Taranta (Tarantula Night), an event having now international resonance, that takes place in August in the towns of the Grecìa Salentina. It is a popular music festival, where traditional and revisited pizzica meet national and international music.
It is a tour that usually starts in Corigliano d'Otranto and ends with the great final concert in Melpignano, and which lasts until the first lights of the morning.
