An Englishman at "La Notte della Taranta"

It is less than one month since we went to Melpignano, south of Lecce.

Melpignano is located in an area of the Lecce province called Grecia Salentina.

People there speak Griko, a variant of Greek.

We went there the 23^rd of August to attend the latest night of the itinerant festival La Notte della Taranta.

La Notte della Taranta is one of greatest folk festival in Europe.

The music played there is pizzica, which has Greek influence.

Aaron is from Bristol, in the UK.

He came to Brindisi, south of Apulia, in July 2013 to work.

He loves music, he likes very much music festival.

Last year I promised him: “I will take you to Melpignano at La Notte della Taranta, an amazing folk festival.”.

Mervyn, a funny friend of ours from London joined us.

The 23^rd of August 2013 we were in Melpignano.

I still remember their faces when they saw the huge crowd under the stage, filling the entire square.

Almost 30.000 people dancing and singing.

I consider it a bath of energy, pure energy.

Mervyn was supposed to come this year as well. Unfortunately, he could not make it.

 So Aaron and I went there again this year, to celebrate what seems to me a therapeutic rite.

Aaron, I, Lucia and her friends from Milan have been this year at La Notte della Taranta.

I asked Aaron:“Why do you like this music festival”. He replied: “because it is so trivial”.

Aaron has been dancing the entire night. He has even bought a tamburello.

Then, at the end of the night he comes to me and says: “do you know why I really like this festival?

Because it makes me think that I have to let it go” I have never understood very well what he meant.

But I guess he meant something personal, something which belongs to his own story.

Aaron will go back to UK soon.

His life experience in Apulia has almost come to an end.

I wish you all the best, dude.

I'm sure that I will see you next year in August, of course at Notte della Taranta.