The Long Night of the Churches

A night of art and spirituality in Salento

The Long Night of the Churches is a national cultural initiative that every year, at the beginning of June, invites communities across Italy to open the doors of their churches for a widespread evening of music, theatre, poetry, art, and spiritual reflection. In Caprarica di Lecce, a small town in the Province of Lecce nestled in the Grecìa Salentina, the event has developed a distinct identity over the years, skillfully weaving religious messages with the rich folk traditions of the South.

Promoted by the Municipality of Caprarica di Lecce under the artistic direction of Vania Palumbo, the festival makes the Church of the Crucifix and the town's historic centre the heart of an evening itinerary that combines concerts, book presentations, photography exhibitions, and theatre-song performances. The central theme changes annually in line with the national initiative, but the Caprarica touch remains unmistakable: singer-songwriter music, early music, and reinterpretations of Salento's folk culture.

The Via Francigena and Grecìa Salentina

One of the distinctive elements of the Caprarica edition is its link to the Southern Via Francigena, the ancient pilgrimage route that crosses Salento towards the ports of embarkation for the Holy Land. The evening's route symbolically retraces this path, with stages leading from the church towards the square and the most significant sites of the village, in an interweaving of faith, community, and landscape.

Caprarica's location in Grecìa Salentina, the area historically linked to the Grika language, further enriches the programme: Southern Italian folk music and local oral traditions find space alongside great Italian songwriters, in a dialogue between the sacred and the profane that defines the festival.

A widespread and free event

The Long Night of the Churches in Caprarica unfolds over several evenings and involves various locations in the town, from the Church of the Crucifix to historic centre spaces like the Pilgrim's House. The events, which are free to attend, are aimed at both residents and visitors wishing to discover an intimate and authentic side of Salento, far from the major tourist flows of the coast.

For those visiting Puglia in June, the event represents a precious opportunity to experience a Salento village in a quiet and evocative setting, amidst live music, literature, and the silent beauty of churches illuminated in the night.