Madonna dell'Abbondanza Festival

A celebration of faith and community in Cursi

In the heart of Salento, nestled within the Grecìa Salentina region in the province of Lecce, the town of Cursi celebrates its most cherished event every year on the second Sunday of July: the Madonna dell'Abbondanza Festival. It is the highlight of the year that brings the entire Cursi community together, drawing back many locals who have moved away but return home for these days of devotion and celebration.

The legend of 1640

Devotion to the Madonna dell'Abbondanza stems from a miraculous event in 1640. After nine months of drought that scorched the fields and threatened famine, a humble farmer named Biagio Orlando Natali had a vision while searching for his lost heifers in a place called Melilo. A beautiful woman, bathed in light and holding a child, asked him to lead the people in a procession and to build a temple on that spot. Shortly after, the sky darkened and abundant rain regenerated the land; the Virgin took the title "of the Abundance" (dell'Abbondanza) from those miraculous fruits.

The Sanctuary

A small sanctuary was built on the site of the apparition, funded by the offerings of pilgrims. Destroyed by fire in 1708, it was rebuilt by the community and remains a place of pilgrimage today, symbolizing the deep bond between Cursi and its patron saint.

The festival days

Festivities center around the second Sunday of July, with the preceding Saturday and the following Monday dedicated to secular events. The highlight is the procession accompanying the statues of the Madonna and Saint Nicholas through the town streets, escorted by brass bands. The outdoor religious celebration draws faithful from across the Grecìa Salentina. Official dates and the detailed 2026 program have not yet been announced by the municipality, though the event will follow tradition on the second Sunday of July.

• Religious processions featuring the statues of the Madonna and Saint Nicholas;
• Brass band concerts and musical entertainment in the town squares;
• Artistic illuminations lighting up the historic center;
• Evening fireworks display near the sports field;
• Market stalls and local Salento culinary specialties.

Cursi, the capital of Lecce stone

Located in central Salento, between Maglie and Otranto, Cursi is known as the "capital of Lecce stone," the golden limestone extracted from its quarries and used for centuries in Salento's Baroque architecture. The Madonna dell'Abbondanza Festival is the perfect opportunity to discover this authentic village in the province of Lecce, Puglia—far from the typical tourist circuits but rich in history and popular tradition.