Festa te lu Mieru

The mother of all Salento festivals

The Festa te lu Mieru is much more than just a food and wine festival; it is a collective ritual that has shaped the very identity of Salento's popular celebrations. Every September, the historic center of Carpignano Salentino, a small town in the province of Lecce, Puglia, fills with long communal tables, singing, and glasses of new wine. 'Mieru' is the Salento dialect word for genuine, homemade wine produced by local farmers. Drinking it together under the late-summer stars is a way of sharing the very soul of this land.

A festival born from an extraordinary encounter

The festival's roots date back to the mid-1970s, when the local community met Eugenio Barba and his Odin Teatret, who had arrived in Salento in search of a remote, authentic place for inspiration. From that deep exchange between actors and locals, the idea of a great collective celebration—centered on conviviality, music, and wine—was born in 1975. Since then, the festival has never stopped, becoming the oldest and longest-running event in the region and a model for dozens of subsequent Salento festivals.

Wine, food, and peasant traditions

The heart of the event is the local red wine, which takes center stage in tastings and the traditional competition for the best wine of the year, honoring local producers. It is paired with authentic Salento peasant dishes, served throughout the village streets and squares:

• Pittule and vegetable fritters
• Seasonal legumes and vegetables
• Salento cured meats and cheeses
• Traditional local desserts

Pizzica, folk music, and the Fòcara te lu Mieru

The evenings are marked by the rhythm of pizzica, tambourines, and folk music concerts that bring Piazza Duca d'Aosta and the narrow alleys of the old town to life until late at night. The most evocative moment is the final ritual of the Fòcara te lu Mieru, a massive bonfire that closes the festival and symbolically bids farewell to the wine-making year, passing down an ancient gesture of community and gratitude.

An unmissable September event in Salento

Free and open to everyone, the Festa te lu Mieru attracts thousands of visitors to Carpignano Salentino every year, offering an authentic immersion into the food, wine, and folk culture of Puglia. In 2025, the event celebrated its first fifty years, cementing its status as a pillar of Salento's identity.