Spend your week in Otranto to find the lures and traditions of this land.

The reasons to visit Otranto are many;

The crystal clear sea, has, in the past years few years, won Otranto a prize given by the “Guida Blu di Legambiente and the Touring Club” for the cleanest sea in Italy.
The mild climate throughout the year.

The history of the antique city Hydruntum, for many centuries the political, cultural and commercial centre of Salento, which was Byzantine , Gothic , and soon after, Norman and Aragonese. The Turks invasion in 1480 was the cause of a cruel and dramatic event which saw the slaughter of the 800 martyrs of Otranto, who, after a heroic resistance, would not relinquish their Christian faith. In spite of the damages taken , Otranto preserves a well defined historic centre: picturesque in its southern aspect of houses painted in lively colours and shut at the belt by fortifications set upon the southern edge of the port . The modern part of the city, on the other hand, is characterized by the development of the coastal areas and in the immediate hinterland.
 

The culture is rich of aspects which testify its intense history. The beautiful Cathedral with its floor mosaic is numbered as one of the wonders of the world. Not to miss Saint Peter’s Byzantine Basilica, the Martyrs Hill, the Castle, the Towers, the Forts, the Aragonese Barricade and the sturdy agricultural houses. The variety of assets has made Otranto the main attraction of the international tourism and one of the most appreciated locations of Salento, Apulia and Italy.

DURING THE WEEK

The society of Salento has a history of working-class citizens who lived a simple life , full of endurances, making the most out of the difficult situations, thanks to a strong belief in destiny. It is from this agricultural life that the mystery of the “taranta” , a mythical animal, is born . During the harvest women’s legs were exposed to the venomous bite of this legendary animal. It was alleged that whoever was bitten became somehow possessed by it’s force; such matters have been studied throughout the '900, and interpreted as the strong motivation of women to seek freedom, or maybe a way of showing themselves equivalent to men. The music to the healing ritual is the most important element : If a woman was found bitten by the “taranta” musicians had to be brought to her home with various instruments, such as percussions, violins and other, with the sole aim to make the patient dance, sing and sweat till she was out of energy. It’s said that while the victim danced for days , as per therapy, the spider was to suffer and tire out till it exploded . The exorcism of the imaginary possession, therefore, ended with the death of the “taranta”.
 

PROGRAM