Madonna della Campana Festival
The feast of the Co-Patroness of Casarano on Divine Mercy Sunday
About Madonna della Campana
An ancient devotion on the Campana hill
The Madonna della Campana Festival is the major religious and popular event in Casarano, in the province of Lecce, in the heart of the Apulian Lower Salento. It takes place eight days after Easter, on Divine Mercy Sunday and the following Monday, honoring the Madonna venerated as the Co-Patroness of the city alongside the patron saint, Saint John the Almsgiver.
The focal point of the devotion is the small Church of the Madonna della Campana, which stands on the summit of a plateau — the Campana hill — overlooking the town from the east. According to tradition, a first chapel was built on the hill as early as the 15th century; the current building, with its sober facade and single-nave interior featuring a star-studded ceiling and Baroque altars, dates back to the 17th century.
Legends of its origin
Several stories are handed down regarding the name and origin of the cult. The most well-known claims that an ox, while plowing the hill, unearthed an ancient slab with the image of the Hodegetria: it was the animal's cowbell (campanaccio) that gave the Virgin the title of "Campana". Another legend tells of a ship captain, saved from a storm off these coasts, who vowed to build three Marian churches, including the one on the Casarano hill facing the Ionian Sea.
Rites and popular traditions
The festival preserves customs passed down through generations that make the Casarano celebration unique:
- the Vergineddhe, young girls dressed in white to symbolize purity, who accompany the procession;
- the Ancileddhi, children dressed as little angels, and the small Matunneddhe;
- the choir that intones traditional hymns dedicated to the Madonna, only some of which have been set to music and are performed every year;
- the solemn translation of the statues from the Mother Church to the sanctuary on the hill, accompanied by the brass band concert.
Monday is linked to the tradition of the "campaneddhra": Casarano families gather in the surrounding countryside for the traditional outdoor lunch. The day also maintains a strong bond with the cavamonti, the stone quarry workers, who have dedicated this Monday to their own celebration since 1920.
Music, bands, and fireworks
As per Salento tradition, the secular part of the festival complements the religious one with brass band concerts, public performances, and fireworks. The illuminations, bands, and the pyrotechnic torchlight procession at the Cavamonti votive shrine transform the two days into an event that attracts faithful and visitors from all over Salento. Organized by the Maria SS. Annunziata Parish with the festival committee, the Madonna della Campana Festival remains one of the defining events of Casarano and southern Puglia.
Madonna della Campana — edition 2026
Seven-day prayer and eve (April 6-11)
The preparation opened with the seven-day prayer: every evening at 7:00 PM, Holy Mass at the Church of the Madonna della Campana. On Saturday, April 11, at 8:00 PM, the torchlight pilgrimage took place along Via Falcone, Piazza Borsellino, Via Maggia, Via Raffaello Sanzio, and Via Scalinata, concluding with Holy Mass.
Sunday, April 12
- 09:30 AM — Holy Mass at the Mother Church
- 10:30 AM — Translation of the Protectors' statues to the hill, accompanied by the "Città di Taviano" Brass Band
- 11:00 AM — Holy Mass on the hill
- 07:00 PM — Holy Mass at the Church of the Madonna della Campana
- 08:30 PM — Concert by "Fronte del Blasco", a Vasco Rossi tribute band, in the square adjacent to the church
Monday, April 13
- 10:00 AM — Holy Mass at the Church of the Madonna della Campana
- 06:30 PM — Holy Mass on the hill
- 07:30 PM — City procession animated by the Città di Taviano Municipal Grand Brass Band
During the stop at the Cavamonti votive shrine, the Angelo Dario company from Matino managed the "Pyrotechnic Torchlight Procession". The procession route passed through Via Ruffano, Via Brindisi, Via Piemonte, Viale Emanuele II, Via Fratelli Bandiera, Via Pietro Micca, Via Corsica, Via Carlo Magno, Via Buozzi, Via Enrico Toti, Via Matino, Piazza Indipendenza, and Piazza San Giovanni.
Programme Madonna della Campana 2026
Seven-day prayer — April 6-11
- Every day at 7:00 PM — Holy Mass at the Church of the Madonna della Campana
- Saturday, April 11, at 8:00 PM — Torchlight pilgrimage (Via Falcone, Piazza Borsellino, Via Maggia, Via Raffaello Sanzio, Via Scalinata) and concluding Holy Mass
Sunday, April 12
- 09:30 AM — Holy Mass at the Mother Church
- 10:30 AM — Translation of the Protectors' statues to the hill with the "Città di Taviano" Brass Band
- 11:00 AM — Holy Mass on the hill
- 07:00 PM — Holy Mass at the Church of the Madonna della Campana
- 08:30 PM — "Fronte del Blasco" concert (Vasco Rossi tribute)
Monday, April 13
- 10:00 AM — Holy Mass at the Church of the Madonna della Campana
- 06:30 PM — Holy Mass on the hill
- 07:30 PM — City procession with the Città di Taviano Municipal Grand Brass Band and Pyrotechnic Torchlight Procession (Angelo Dario company of Matino) at the Cavamonti votive shrine
Highlights Madonna della Campana 2026
Prices Madonna della Campana 2026
Practical information — Madonna della Campana
When
Divine Mercy Sunday (the eighth day after Easter) and the following Monday. The preparatory seven-day prayer (settenario) takes place in the days leading up to it at the Church of the Madonna della Campana.
Where
Casarano (LE), Lower Salento. The heart of the festivities is the Church of the Madonna della Campana, on the Campana hill east of the town; celebrations also involve the Mother Church and the town center streets.
How to get there
By car: from Lecce, reach Casarano via the SS 275 in about 45 minutes; the nearest airport is Brindisi-Casale. By train: the Casarano station is served by the Ferrovie del Sud Est.
Admission
Religious and popular event with free admission.
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Where does it take place — Madonna della Campana
Chiesa della Madonna della Campana
Colle della Campana, 73042 Casarano