Salento, Apulia: Pizzica, Food and Hidden Towns

Salento, Apulia

Salento is home to some of Italy's loveliest towns and cities: the fortified seafront gems of Gallipoli and Otranto, the baroque sophistication of Lecce and the luxurious Liberty-style seaside of Leuca.

Salento also has hidden gems off the tourist trail, unexpected and unspoilt town centres like Santa Maria al Bagno, Galatina, Galatone and others, only twenty kilometres from Lecce, which preserve a strong tie with Greek culture. In this area the Griko dialect is still spoken, and there are many gastronomic, cultural and religious traditions that recall its Hellenic roots.

The pizzica, between medieval times and tradition

The pizzica is a ritual of rhythmic music and dance, created by women to express their desire to be free from the oppression of a strict, patriarchal culture. It has its roots in the Dionysian cults that came from Greece, in which people were intoxicated by strong wine and music. At the beginning of the Middle Ages, this dance became a healing dance, meant to remove the poison that the tarantula had injected into the body of a woman, driving her insane.

The cultural and musical heritage of this ritual has survived: the pizzica is music and a dance played at family gatherings, and in many villages pizzica festivals enliven the summer nights.

Many contemporary musicians play modern versions of the pizzica, and in recent years many pizzica concerts have taken place in Italy and in Europe; the most important is the Night of the Taranta.

What to eat in Salento

The cuisine of Salento is rich in ancient traditions, with ancient flavours and aromas; its regional specialities and a few secret recipes are reason enough to organise a trip to this enchanting culinary paradise. There are many appetisers and street foods, and names like pucce and rustici leccesi are well known everywhere. Not to forget the wide variety of homemade pasta and fish and lamb dishes cooked with the extra virgin olive oil produced in Apulia, accompanied by red wines like Primitivo and Negroamaro, the two most famous grapes.

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