La Taranta and Salento Music
La Taranta and Salento Music features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Gallipoli. Give it roughly ~120 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type landmark
- Suggested visit ~120 min
- Gallipoli Gallipoli guide
About La Taranta and Salento Music
The ancient musical tradition of the Salento, the taranta, the pizzica, and the extraordinary contemporary music scene centred on the Notte della Taranta festival in nearby Melpignano.
The musical tradition of the Salento is one of the most distinctive and alive in Italy, rooted in the ancient tarantism tradition (the supposed bite of the tarantula spider, cured by the frenzied dance of the pizzica), the music of the western Salento around Gallipoli has been experiencing an extraordinary revival since the 1990s. The pizzica is the traditional music and dance of the Salento: fast, rhythmically complex, with the sound of the tambourine (tamburello) at its heart, and danced in a circling, spinning style that was originally connected to the ritual cure of tarantism. The Notte della Taranta festival, held annually in August at Melpignano near Lecce, has brought this music to international attention and is now one of the largest folk music festivals in Europe.
Did you know? The Notte della Taranta festival at Melpignano near Lecce draws over 100,000 people to a single concert, making it one of the largest single-concert folk music events in the world, and the largest musical event in southern Italy.
How long is a visit to La Taranta and Salento Music?
Set aside roughly ~120 min for La Taranta and Salento Music. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is La Taranta and Salento Music worth your time?
La Taranta and Salento Music is among the 12 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Gallipoli, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Gallipoli
Hear the story of La Taranta and Salento Music
Preview the Gallipoli tour free in the Gingerguide app.