Saint Dominic and the Wolf Festival (Serpari Rite)

One of Abruzzo's most ancient traditions

Every year, on the first Sunday of May, the small village of Pretoro, perched on the foothills of the Maiella in the province of Chieti (Abruzzo), renews the Saint Dominic and the Wolf Festival, a patronal celebration with roots dating back to 1875. The event draws faithful, curious onlookers, and visitors to the village, all attracted by a unique fusion of religious devotion, folklore, and popular theater.

The rite of the snake handlers

The heart of the day is the famous rite of the snake handlers (serpari), which creates an ideal bond between Pretoro and the nearby town of Cocullo (L'Aquila), with which the municipality is officially twinned. In Piazza Roma, the snake handlers display the reptiles captured in the surrounding countryside, and those who present the largest snakes are awarded. Saint Dominic Abbot is traditionally invoked as a protector against the bites of snakes and venomous animals.

"Lu Lope": the wolf miracle

The element that makes Pretoro truly unique, however, is the sacred performance of the "Miracle of Saint Dominic and the Wolf", known to all as "Lu Lope". The legend tells of a child snatched from his cradle by a wolf while his parents were in the woods gathering firewood, and returned safe and sound through the Saint's intercession. The performance, once a simple pantomime, now takes place along the Valle di San Domenico, accompanied by the recitation of a dialect poem written by the local poet Raffaele Fraticelli (1924-2021), which has been broadcast via loudspeakers for over sixty years.

Intangible Heritage of Italy

The celebration is recognized by the Central Institute for Demoethnoanthropology as an Intangible Heritage of Italy, a testament to its cultural and identity value for the Abruzzese community. The role of the child in the performance is entrusted each year to a newborn from the village or neighboring towns, a detail that makes every edition unique.

Faith, community, and memory

Surrounding the main events is a rich calendar of festivities including novenas, processions, the town band, educational spaces dedicated to the fauna of the Maiella National Park, musical performances, and the traditional raffle. The Saint Dominic and the Wolf Festival thus represents a moment of cohesion for the entire Pretoro community, capable of uniting the sacred and the popular, devotion and celebration.