Galatina: the hearth of tarantismo

The 29th of June 2014, I went to Galatina for the celebration of St. Peter and Paul.

According to the tradition, those who were bitten by the tarantula used to go to the St. Paul's chapel in Galatina.

The therapeutic band was there waiting for them.

As soon the music begun to be played, the pizzicati (bitten), mostly women, started jumping, running, dancing, and eventually, collapsed on the ground.

Everything occurred under the supervision of the two miraculous Saints.

The goal was that the poison inoculated by the tarantula would have been got rid of by a very intense sweating.









An old man whom I met in Galatina, said: "the pizzicati were brought to the chapel by horse-car."

He adds: "this event was very popular till the 80s.

Then, with the fading of rural culture, women and men abandoned this custom.".

Over the last years, the Municipality of Galatina supported by the local club Unesco, hold a pantomime to recall the tradition.

Let us say that the pizzica, a therapeutic folk music has a hysterical rhythm.

Pizzica is part of that big family which goes under the name of tarantella.

Tarantella is a key element of the culture of Southern Italy.

If you wish to see more pictures, please click here