Procession of the Mysteries

In 2025, the Procession of the Mysteries of Martina Franca returned to mark Good Friday in the city's historic center, in the province of Taranto. Guarded by the Confraternity of Sant'Antonio di Padova, based in the Church of San Francesco d'Assisi, the procession carried the statues of the Mysteries of the Passion of Christ through the streets.

As per the centuries-old tradition, the procession opened with the Penitential Cross — 'a crosce dìi Mistére — decorated with the symbols of the Passion, followed by the penitents and the statues accompanied by the somber sound of the troccole and funeral marches. A rite of reflection and devotion that, since 1716, unites the community of Martina Franca every year and attracts numerous visitors to the Itria Valley for Holy Week.