100 Masserie Festival

The festival of the land of the hundred masserie

The 100 Masserie Festival is the event that every autumn tells the most authentic soul of Crispiano, a town in the province of Taranto, in Puglia, known as "the land of the hundred masserie." Surrounding Crispiano is a unique heritage of historic masserie: ancient fortified farmhouses that for centuries have shaped the landscape of the Murgia plateau and the local rural economy. The festival transforms this heritage into a great collective narrative made of flavors, crafts, stories, and community.

A journey through farmhouses, villages, and squares

The event spans several days and is traditionally organized into thematic weekends, moving between the local masserie, Borgo San Simone, and civic venues in the center, such as the Council Chamber, the Carlo Natale Civic Library, and the municipal Infopoint. Each stop offers a different experience: breakfasts and tours in the masserie, photography exhibitions, meetings on local history—from feudalism to brigandage—and tributes to figures linked to Crispiano, such as poets Alda Merini and Michele Pierri.

The Giallorosso tomato and the San Simone Festival

The gastronomic heart of the festival is the Giallorosso Tomato Festival, which brings Borgo San Simone to life. The Giallorosso tomato of Crispiano is a Slow Food Presidium, a symbol of local agricultural biodiversity: the festival, organized by the Pro Loco, offers tastings, Farmers' Markets, children's entertainment, workshops, and social gatherings that highlight typical products and small local producers.

Culture, crafts, and traditions

Alongside food and wine, the festival gives ample space to ancient crafts and folk traditions: craft workshops such as the art of crochet, meetings, theatrical performances, screenings, and awards dedicated to the "Ambassadors of the territory." It is an opportunity to rediscover the rural identity of the Taranto Murgia and to experience the masserie not as mere monuments, but as living community spaces.

Organization

The 100 Masserie Festival is organized by the Municipality of Crispiano with the Department of Tourism and Culture, the municipal Infopoint, and the Pro Loco, with the support of the Puglia Region and local networks such as GAL Magna Grecia and Città dell'Olio. Admission to events is generally free. The festival confirms itself as a key identity-building appointment for Crispiano and the entire area of the masserie, among the most evocative in the Ionian Puglia.