Amici del Mare Festival

The Amici del Mare Festival in Marittima

Every summer, the small hamlet of Marittima, in the municipality of Diso (Province of Lecce), transforms into a lively meeting point thanks to the Amici del Mare Festival. The event, promoted by the association of the same name, Amici del Mare, has become a highly anticipated date in the Salento summer calendar: it brings together fine dining, popular traditions, and the energy of an entire community gathering in Piazza Principe Umberto.

A dive into Salento tradition

Marittima is one of the seaside villages of lower Salento, a strip of Puglia where the relationship with the Adriatic Sea has always shaped the life, economy, and cuisine of the town. The festival was born precisely to celebrate this maritime identity: it is not just a gastronomic fair, but a moment of collective celebration where residents and visitors share local dishes, music, and traditional games.

The fried fish festival

The delicious heart of the event is the fried fish festival. At the stalls set up in the square, you can enjoy fresh fish fried according to the simplest and most authentic recipe, accompanied by local flavors and regional wines. It is an opportunity to rediscover a humble yet genuine cuisine—that of the Salento fishermen—in a convivial atmosphere that smells of the sea and fried delicacies.

The "Tiru cu la Furcateddhra" tournament

Among the most iconic moments of the festival is the "Tiru cu la Furcateddhra" tournament, an ancient Salento folk game that challenges participants using a traditional slingshot. It is a competition that draws both young and old to the square and preserves, in a playful form, the memory of the games of the past, when skill challenges enlivened summer evenings in the towns of the Capo di Leuca area.

Music and evenings in the square

The evenings of the Amici del Mare Festival are accompanied by live concerts featuring numerous local artists. Pizzica and Salento folk music alternate with rock repertoires and performances by local bands, turning Piazza Principe Umberto into an open-air stage until late at night.

An event for the Diso community

The festival is part of the rich summer program of the municipality of Diso and its hamlets in Puglia, and it represents one of the best opportunities to discover Marittima in its most authentic guise: that of a seaside village that, for a few August evenings, opens its squares to hospitality, taste, and the traditions of Salento.