It is not Autumn in Salento until the day of the Fiera di Ognissanti, an annual appointment with the tradition held in Carpignano Salentino, in the heart of the Grecìa Salentina about 25 km from Lecce. Every 1st November, in fact, for 2-3 days the village dresses up with 450 exhibitors of any kind, not only food.
There are 4 km of roads affected by the event for a total of about 15,000 square meters of exhibition space. These numbers make the fair one of the largest productive and cultural events in Salento.
TRADITION – Starting from the evening of October 31 and throughout the day of November 1, we use to eat the traditional boiled meat and taste traditional dishes based on pork and “cicureddhre” and other delicacies of the typical Salento cuisine accompanied by excellent wines produced on site.
The Fiera di Ognissanti is the ideal opportunity to visit Salento in an unusual season, but still full of surprises: the still mild climate, the tranquility of the small towns and the rediscovery of the characteristic inland villages with their historical and culinary traditions.
THE HISTORY – The “Fiera di Ognissanti” dates back to the year 1000, initially it was linked to the cult of SS. Medici and took place near the church of San Cosimo, in the nearby farmhouse of Cabierno, near the Via Traiana, once a very busy place as the last point of post for the change of horses before reaching Otranto. The date of November 1st would derive from the oriental tradition that celebrated the “Santi Medici”. Over the years and with the changing needs, the fair was moved to today’s Carpignano, a square for exchanges of agricultural products, seeds, agricultural tools and large animals, over the years artifacts related to crafts have been added.
THE VILLAGE – Carpignano Salentino is one of the 9 municipalities of the Lecce hinterland which is part of the Grecìa Salentina. Together with Martano, Martignano, Calimera, Zollino, the village has preserved traces of the influence of ancient Greece, thanks to griko, which mixes local dialect with Greek. To find out more, read here!
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