Events in Puglia: Celebrations of Holy Week in Puglia

At Francavilla Fontana, a small village in the province of Taranto, Easter celebrations begin on Palm Sunday with continual celebrations until Easter Monday. Fraternal orders lead many of the processions slowly and barefoot, while the village watches in total silence, which is broken only by the so-called troccole; wooden planks with handles mounted on the sides which give a melancholy sound when banged. The fraternity is known as Pappamusci and dress in Hispanic-style costumes with their faces covered by a hood with two small holes cut out for their eyes, rendering them unrecognisable.

The most celebrated of the Easter celebrations in Apulia is without doubt Misteri in Taranto, during which large statues representing episodes of the Passion of Christ. Each year, the honour of carrying the most decorative statue is won as the fraternities organise an auction where the proceeds go to charity.

Impressive Easter celebrations are also held at San Marco in Lamis, in the province of Foggia, where enormous wooden torches mounted on floats accompanied with the statue of the Maddonna Addolorata during the procession of Maundy Thursday.

Holy Week in Puglia is also a good opportunity to visit the numerous churches which are usually closed to the public, in particular Maundy Thursday when participants go from church to church (tradition has it that you have to visit at least three, or in any case, an odd number of churches) stopping to pray at each one.