Giurdignano Fest – Truffle Festival
The Salento truffle festival in the Land of Megaliths
About Giurdignano Fest
Truffles in the Land of Megaliths
Giurdignano, a small town in the Province of Lecce in the heart of lower Salento, is known as the Land of Megaliths: its territory holds the highest concentration of dolmens, menhirs, crypts, and underground oil mills in all of Puglia. It is within this setting of stone and memory that the Giurdignano Fest – Truffle Festival was born, a food, wine, and cultural festival that every June transforms the town's historic center into a large experiential laboratory dedicated to Salento truffles.
Promoted by the Municipality of Giurdignano and organized by Puglia Expò, with the patronage of the Puglia Region, the Province of Lecce, and numerous local partners, the event aims to promote Salento truffles as a symbol of a strong and authentic rural identity, often less known compared to the more famous truffle-growing areas of Northern Italy.
A dialogue between truffle territories
What makes the Giurdignano Fest special is its commitment to exchange: the festival connects Salento truffles with those from other Italian villages in the Città del Tartufo (Truffle Cities) network, of which Giurdignano is a member. In the 2026 edition, Salento meets Emilia thanks to a twinning with Calestano, a village in the Parma Apennines, which brings Parmigiano Reggiano, truffle risotto, and Emilian wines to the square in a gastronomic dialogue between North and South.
What to expect
The program combines flavors, culture, and landscape in a single path spread across Piazza Municipio, the Palazzo Baronale, and the alleys of the historic center:
- Guided tastings and show cooking with truffle specialties;
- Truffle Experience: truffle hunting in the field with Lagotto Romagnolo dogs;
- Wine Experience among Salento vineyards and food-wine pairings;
- Workshops and conferences on the truffle economy and local identity;
- Megalithic tour among dolmens, menhirs, and the Centoporte Abbey;
- Evening market of producers and street food lane;
- Free evening concerts in the square.
A festival to discover the authentic Salento
The Giurdignano Fest is much more than a food festival: it is an invitation to discover an inland and authentic Salento, far from the crowded coastal routes, where the truffle becomes a pretext to tell the story of an entire territory made of stone, olive trees, peasant traditions, and hospitality. For the visitor, it is the ideal opportunity to combine good food, megalithic culture, and the Apulian landscape in a single June weekend.
Giurdignano Fest — edition 2026
The 2026 edition, the third of the event, brought a twinning with Calestano to Giurdignano, a village in the Parma Apennines also a member of the Città del Tartufo network. The theme "Salento meets Emilia" guided three days of events spread across Piazza Municipio, the Palazzo Baronale, and the historic center, with the official inauguration in the presence of regional institutions. Alongside the gastronomic moments, the festival offered conferences on the future of the Truffle Cities, book presentations, a megalithic tour among dolmens, menhirs, and the Centoporte Abbey, and free evening concerts in the square.
Programme Giurdignano Fest 2026
Friday, June 12
- 8:00 AM — Wine Experience among Salento vineyards
- 10:30 AM — "His Majesty the Truffle" workshop at the Palazzo Baronale: a comparison between Calestano and Salento truffles
- 1:00 PM — Guided tastings with truffle specialties
- 7:00 PM — Official inauguration and opening of the market in Piazza Municipio and the Historic Center
- 7:30 PM — "Books and Cooking" with presentations and chef proposals
- 9:00 PM — Concert by ALS Project (Italian singer-songwriter)
Saturday, June 13
- 8:00 AM — Truffle Experience: truffle hunting with Aldo Borgia's Lagotto Romagnolo dogs
- 10:30 AM — Conference "Salento, frontier land – Giurdignano, land of hospitality"
- 1:00 PM — Gastronomic insights into the excellence of Calestano and Giurdignano
- 7:00 PM — Opening of the market and street food lane
- 9:00 PM — Concert by Provvisorio Popolare (folk music)
Sunday, June 14
- 8:30 AM — Megalithic tour among dolmens, menhirs, underground oil mills, and Centoporte Abbey
- 11:00 AM — Conference "The Truffle Cities, economies and new markets"
- 1:00 PM — Food and wine journey "The Food Valley": Parmigiano Reggiano and Calestano truffle risotto paired with Salento wines
- 7:30 PM — Presentation of a volume dedicated to Apulian cuisine and territory
- 9:00 PM — Evening acoustic concert in the square
Every evening, from 7:00 PM, a market of local and national producers and a street food lane in Piazza Municipio and the Historic Center.
Highlights Giurdignano Fest 2026
Prices Giurdignano Fest 2026
Practical information — Giurdignano Fest
Getting there
Giurdignano is located in lower Salento, in the Province of Lecce, a few kilometers from Otranto. By car, it can be reached via the SS16 or the provincial roads connecting Maglie and Otranto. The nearest train stations are the Ferrovie Sud Est stations in Maglie and Otranto; the reference airport is Brindisi.
Admission and bookings
Access to the market and the street food lane is free. Workshops and guided experiences (Truffle Experience, Wine Experience, megalithic tour) are generally free but require booking: we recommend contacting the organizers in advance.
Tips
Wear comfortable shoes for the tour among dolmens and menhirs and for the narrow streets of the historic center. June evenings can be cool: bring a light jacket.
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Where does it take place — Giurdignano Fest
Centro Storico e Palazzo Baronale
Piazza Municipio, 73020 Giurdignano