Acquarica di Lecce Pepper Festival

August 17-18, 2025 — 37th edition

The 37th Pepper Festival took place in Acquarica di Lecce, a village of Vernole, on the evenings of August 17 and 18, 2025. Once again, the star was the yellow pepper, prepared according to tradition—fried, roasted, and stuffed—by the volunteers of the Pro Loco of Acquarica di Lecce.

The food stalls set up in the town center offered, in addition to pepper-based dishes, other typical farm-to-table products and Salento wine. The two evenings were accompanied by live folk music, with Salento pizzica and folklore groups enlivening the squares until late at night, attracting visitors from Salento and the nearby marinas.

Festival structure (August 17-18, 2025)

• Pro Loco food stalls — fried, roasted, and stuffed peppers, local farm-to-table products, and Salento wine
• Musical evenings — live concerts of Salento folk music, pizzica, and folklore in the center of Acquarica di Lecce