Festival of Our Lady of Pollino — Ascent

The Rite of the Ascent

Every year, on the first Sunday of June, San Severino Lucano experiences one of the highest moments of its religious calendar: the ascent of the statue of Our Lady of Pollino. At dawn, after Mass, the procession carrying the venerated statue departs from the Mother Church of the village to the Sanctuary on Mount Pollino, at an altitude of 1537 meters, in the heart of the Pollino National Park. It is an 18-kilometer uphill walk, through forests and Apennine landscapes, arriving at the sanctuary around sunset.

Bagpipes, Cinte, and Tarantellas

The procession is accompanied by bagpipers, accordion and tambourine players, in a soundscape that lasts for hours. Here, the tarantella is not a festive dance but a devotional dance: the music creates an acoustic and choreographic environment that, for many pilgrims, holds the same value as prayer. Women wear the cinte on their heads, heavy and complex compositions of wheat ears and candles, a typical votive form of devotion in Lucania. Along the route, at the pisuoli — masonry structures serving as rest stops — locals offer refreshments to the pilgrims.

Our Lady Stays on the Mountain

From this moment, the statue of Our Lady with Child remains at the sanctuary on Pollino throughout the summer, until the second Sunday of September, when the descent will take place. In between, on the first weekend of July, the most important festival is held, attracting thousands of pilgrims from Basilicata and Calabria.

Intangible Heritage

The pilgrimage of Our Lady of Pollino is recognized by the Central Institute for Intangible Heritage among the great festivals and traditions of Italy. For the Municipality of San Severino Lucano, in the Province of Potenza, the June ascent is the quintessential identity rite: a journey of faith, effort, and music that inextricably links the community to its mountain.