Santissimo Crocifisso Festival of Pozzino

A festival in the Salento countryside

In San Pietro in Lama, a small town in the province of Lecce in the heart of Salento, the Santissimo Crocifisso Festival of Pozzino is one of the community's most anticipated events. It does not take place in the town centre, but in the Pozzino area, about two kilometres away, where a small church nestled in the countryside gives the entire event its name and soul.

The 15th-century church of the Santissimo Crocifisso

The small church of Pozzino dates back to the 15th century and is dedicated to the Santissimo Crocifisso. Inside, it preserves fragments of frescoes bearing the date 1512, as well as papier-mâché statues of the Crucifix and Saint Helena, typical of the great Lecce craftsmanship tradition. It is a place of humble and ancient devotion, very dear to the inhabitants of San Pietro in Lama, who return here every year to renew a ritual rooted in the centuries.

Devotion and village festivities

The festival combines religious and popular dimensions, as is the case in most Salento celebrations. Around the church, the community gathers for moments of prayer and the traditional procession, while in the evening, the space transforms into a true village festival, with lights, people in the streets, and live music shows that enliven the countryside until late. The bond with the Crocifisso of Pozzino is also renewed on September 14th, the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, with a pilgrimage to the small church.

A piece of Salento identity

Events like this safeguard the identity of the small towns in the province of Lecce: they are occasions where families reunite, younger generations rediscover their roots, and visitors can experience an authentic Salento, far from the most touristy circuits. The festival is organised by the San Pietro in Lama Festival Committee, which oversees the religious and civil programme of the event every year in the setting of the Apulian countryside.