FestambienteSud in San Marco in Lamis

FestambienteSud, Legambiente's festival for the South

FestambienteSud is the major international festival organized by the Legambiente circle, which for over twenty years has woven together world music, social theatre, literary meetings, seminars, and environmental education with the promotion of Southern Italy's territories. Born in the Gargano, the festival travels across Puglia every summer, from the villages of the sacred mountain to the Valle d'Itria, and finds one of its most charming stops in the Municipality of San Marco in Lamis, in the province of Foggia.

The San Matteo Convent, a temple of the spirit and a place of culture

The Gargano heart of the festival is the San Matteo Convent, an ancient monastic complex that dominates the Valle dei Santi and overlooks the Foresta Umbra. Defined as a "temple of the spirit and place of culture" for its important library and its thousand-year history, the convent offers the festival an unrepeatable backdrop, where music and words engage in dialogue with the spirituality, stone, and landscape of the Gargano.

"Out of Africa": the theme of the journey

For several editions, FestambienteSud has dedicated its program to the African continent. The three-year project "Out of Africa" continues in 2026 with the theme "Desert, Oasis and Caravans. At the boundaries of the climate": a journey made of sounds, images, and words that arrives from the Sahara into the heart of Puglia, to tell the stories of desert cultures and reflect on climate change, migration, and the encounter between peoples. The artistic direction of the African trilogy is entrusted to Mauro Zanda, while the festival is directed by Franco Salcuni and Luciano Castelluccia.

Not just music: environment, literature, and community

Faithful to the spirit of Legambiente, the programming in San Marco in Lamis combines concerts with book presentations, theatrical performances, and scientific seminars on the desert and desertification. Many events offer free admission and are designed to involve residents and visitors in a model of sustainable culture that brings art, nature, science, and community into dialogue.

A summer appointment in the heart of the Gargano Puglia

Part of a widespread festival that develops throughout Puglia, the San Marco in Lamis stop represents one of the most intense moments of the event. Within the convent walls, the Gargano woods, and the alleys of the village, the public can experience the most authentic Puglia: that of sacred sites, traditions, and music that crosses the borders of the Mediterranean.