Sorry to hear about that unfortunate mishap eks, in an otherwise outstanding trip.

Festival dress in Fasano....1 June..see a very different style, below..




I heard a rumor that there would be a festival in Fasano on Sunday night, June 1, so we returned to what has become our favorite restaurant in one of our favorite towns, LOCANDA D'MARTUMÉ. We were joined by two married women who me had met at our hotel...and had just purchased a property in the Loire Valley (!!)

The town was alive!! Costumed bands led by flag bearers in plumed hats, , the very old and and very young strutting folkloric costumes and the real treat--the first time I had ever witnessed the famous "pizzica" of southern Puglia, the dance said to repel either the devil or the bite of a tarantula.....depending on which legend you believe....(this is called the tarantella in Campania but has the same genesis)

This was one of the greatest moments of my lifetime of traveling! The festivities were not staged for tourists and, in fact, no tourists were obvious, but I felt swept up in such excitement that I just could not stop beaming! I got lost a few times trying to find the restaurant, where three friends were waiting,, and both times I was lead many blocks out of the way by such kind locals--one elderly lady and a pair of teenage girls in black mini-skirts and thigh-high black boots...I was embraced many times, and received many hugs and kisses... I felt like an extra in a movie set!!

I watched the parade before dinner, and after the (absolutely fantastic meal at MARTUME (the stuffed zucchini flowers were divine!!). irresistible music drew us to the piazza where the pizzica was enfolding before mesmerized crowds--the town had set out bales of hay for bystanders to get comfortable... And the streets all around town were lined with stalls selling grilled meats, mixed fritti; stands offered glass bottles that (maybe??) held some kind of magic potion.....everyone, including myself, was just beaming and smiling, and taking videos with their phones...mine are not very good, but here is a peek...

Before I get to those, I could not help but snapping this picture as a reminder to people who worry about how to dress in "good" restaurants in Italy; these guys were seated next to us and speaking in dialect so I knew they were local; here, like almost everywhere else, men and women wore white sneakers although. I did spy some gallery stilettos on young women strutting along in the various passe

Sunday night fashion at Locanda d'Martumé, Fasano, Province of Brindisi.
This pair did not appear to care much about the rational festivities taking place around them.....

A few more pics....

Food stands lined the lanes of the historic core

Yentas exchanging the days' news...

The parades begin

The music was infectious..I could not stop myself from bopping up and down....and this all took place before dinner, and the pizzica in the piazza! I had no idea what was to come on this very special night...

ekscrunchy, as usual, your trip report is delightful to read.......and has me itching to return to Puglia. did you mention the name of the masseria you stayed in near Savelletri? tried to go back through to see if I could find it, but to no avail. ever since we followed your lead and stayed at Casa Maria Luisa in Jerez, we are eager to hear your endorsements!