“Silver Age” as a dynamic expression of maturity in accomplishing trying to ‘concretize’ the true value of life. It is the typical age of those who still possess the fair spirit of those who want to have fun and at the same time have acquired part of that experience that is the core of the people of the past with the years. Well, what is SalentoVirtuale.com offering for a vacation in our area to enjoy and satisfy your artistic and cultural curiosity? The answer is simple: Salento is certainly lacking in ‘testimonies’ of the centuries of history from which it has been crossed; and it is not without those “special” rituals, those fairs, those festivals that merely “tickle” not only your salento folklore but also your palate! As in the case of the Patata Festival that takes place in Parabita around mid July: from simple ‘salad’ to ‘pitta’ (a kind of potato bacon with pizza sauce) to sweet dumplings, etc. Beer and Sound Festival that Leverano hosts in the second decade of July: an opportunity to live carefree moments with friends.
As well as the Loaf Festival with the strong ricotta held in Sannicola between 7 and 8 September: it can not be said that this Salento does not offer ‘craving’ cues for every kind of palate!
But staying in these territories and not taking advantage of the magnificent ‘places’ that blossom like in a fancy centuries and centuries of history, art, and culture would be a real sacrilege. The homeland of this is just Lecce, with the Basilica of Santa Croce, Piazza S. Oronzo, Piazza Duomo, but also Via Trinchese, if you want ad hoc shopping. Like Lecce, also Otranto for a ride from the Cathedral with its characteristic mosaic floor, to the majestic Castle. And then, especially in the summer, a nice dive in the fresh waves of the Adriatic. And yet Gallipoli with its Historic Center that looks almost like a maze: it is infused into so many small and large lanes that will almost give you the feeling of losing them among their meanders. But not afraid, it is enough to follow the smell of the sea to find yourself on the wall that surrounds the ancient village called also “frying pan”.
Here, a beautiful dune walk can give you wonderful sunsets that mirror the rippled sea bed between the screams of the seagulls. In Gallipoli, then, if your vacation falls to Carnival, it is impossible not to be subjugated by the imperial Allegro-Grotesque Wagon Parade that has nothing to envy to that of Viareggio. Or, in the Easter period, pause and admire the costume representation of the Sacred Rites of the Holy Week. Without mentioning the attractiveness of its shores during the summer! In short, a real ‘pearl’ not to miss in your eventual stay in Salento. Like Nardò, with its characteristic Cavalcata and the Incoronata Fair between 11 and 12 August; Galatina with the Feast of SS. Peter and Paul at the end of June, characterized by the typical “tarantas”: unshakable dances that, in the popular belief, would remove the evil symbolized by the tarantula ” morbidity ”. Then again Casarano with the Patronal Feast and the San Giovanni Elemosiniere Fair on the third Sunday of May. Interestingly, it would also be a ‘peek at the Museum of Peasant Civilization and the Popular Traditions of Salento, housed in the Doge’s Palace of Tuglie; or at the Museum of Frescos placed in Poggiardo’s public gardens …
There’s no taste for it, do not you find it? Come and spend your holidays here in Salento, it is such a rich and hospitable land that once known will be difficult to erase from memory. With an invisible thread you will bind to yourself and make you come back again, and then again, to find out more and more deeply your hidden and enchanting secrets.
Roberta Vittorini
