Santu Itu Piccinnu Festival with the Focareddha (Patronage Feast)

A festival of fire and devotion in Salento

The Santu Itu Piccinnu Festival, also known as the Patronage Feast, is one of the most heartfelt and evocative events in the devotional calendar of Lequile, a town in the Province of Lecce, in the heart of the Salento region of Puglia. It is celebrated every year on February 13th, with the lighting of the focara (known in the local Salento dialect as "focareddha") on the eve of the feast, February 12th, in Largo San Vito.

The legend of the storm and the bell tower

At the heart of the festival lies an episode that popular memory recounts as a true miracle. A terrible storm once struck the town, severely damaging the church: the fury of the gale dislodged the bricks of the ceramic-tiled dome and caused the bell tower to collapse. Yet, no private homes or public buildings suffered serious damage, and no citizens were injured. The people of Lequile saw this as the protection of Saint Vitus, the young martyr to whom the town is deeply devoted, and established this festival as an act of thanksgiving.

The focara and the ritual of the embers

The centerpiece of the celebration is the focara, a large bonfire set up in Largo San Vito using bundles of vine shoots (the "sarmenti") that the faithful bring from their own fields. When the wood burns vigorously, the devotees approach the fire with copper containers and, by leaving an offering, collect glowing coals and embers to take home: an ancient gesture meant to provide warmth, but above all, to feel the Saint's protection throughout the year. The tradition once included the release of paper hot-air balloons and fireworks that ignited the pyre, followed by music in the square.

The procession and solemn mass

On the morning of February 13th, the focus shifts to the religious dimension: the statue of Saint Vitus is carried in a "penitential" procession, without gold or crowns, featuring the characteristic changing of the red flags, symbols of martyrdom. This is followed by a solemn thanksgiving mass in the Mother Church, with vespers and a panegyric. In the evening, the statue returns to the mother church while the community gathers around the fire.

The three festivals of Saint Vitus in Lequile

The patron saint of Lequile is celebrated at three different times of the year, which the locals affectionately distinguish in dialect: February 13th with the Patronage Feast or "Santu Itu piccinnu," Easter Tuesday with the feast of the translation of the relic ("Santu Itu menzanu"), and the fourth Sunday of June with the feast of the Patron Saint ("Santu Itu ranne"). February 13th is therefore the first stage of this long devotional embrace, the one most closely tied to fire and the winter atmosphere of Salento.