San Rocco Festival and Fair in Torrepaduli

A festival that serves as a stage for tradition

The San Rocco Festival and Fair takes place in Torrepaduli, the largest village in the municipality of Ruffano, in the province of Lecce, deep in the Salento region of Puglia. It is much more than a simple patronal feast: it is a defining cultural event that attracts thousands of people every summer from across Puglia and beyond, drawn as much by their devotion to the saint as by the hypnotic charm of its legendary night.

San Rocco, the miracle-working saint

Tradition links the festival to San Rocco, a noble 14th-century French pilgrim and healer of plague victims. According to local legend, when ecclesiastical authorities attempted to permanently move the saint's statue from Torrepaduli to Ruffano, it became mysteriously heavy during the procession, only becoming light again when it was returned to the sanctuary. Since then, Torrepaduli has been considered the natural and permanent home of his cult. The San Rocco Sanctuary remains a pilgrimage destination today, with the faithful walking through the Salento countryside to reach it.

Pizzica-scherma and the Night of the Ronde

The beating heart of the festival is the Notte delle Ronde, held on the night between August 15th and 16th. Around the sanctuary, ronde (circles) form, with pizzica-scherma—the famous sword dance—performed in the center. Two dancers engage in a ritual duel, mimicking knife strikes with their fingers to the driving rhythm of tambourines. It is a symbolic, non-violent combat, a dialogue of ancient gestures rooted in the farming cultures of Salento. Musicians, dancers, and curious onlookers arrive with tambourines, guitars, and accordions to bring a collective ritual to life that continues uninterrupted until dawn, serving as one of the few living testaments to this unique tradition.

The fair and the village celebration

Beyond its religious and musical dimensions, the event retains its soul as a fair, established in 1862: market stalls, handicrafts, local products, and a Craft and Local Creativity Exhibition bring the evenings to life. The streets of Torrepaduli fill with lights, the aromas of Salento cuisine, and the constant sound of tambourines, creating an atmosphere that blends the sacred and the profane as only the great folk festivals of the South can.

Why it's worth the trip

• Witness the pizzica-scherma, a unique intangible heritage, performed live until dawn
• Experience the authentic Salento folk devotion at the San Rocco Sanctuary
• Discover Torrepaduli and Ruffano, less touristy and more genuine corners of Salento
• Taste the flavors of Salento cuisine among the fair's market stalls

The San Rocco Festival and Fair in Torrepaduli is one of the events in Puglia that best captures the deep soul of Salento: nocturnal, rhythmic, and visceral.