The story
La Notte della Taranta in Melpignano
Launched in Melpignano's Piazza San Giorgio on 24 August 1998, La Notte della Taranta celebrates pizzica, the whirling folk music and dance of Salento tied to tarantismo, the old belief that dancing could cure a tarantula's bite. A different maestro concertatore arranges the music each year for a touring concert series through Grecia Salentina villages, ending in Melpignano's concertone finale.
La Notte della Taranta began on 24 August 1998 in Melpignano's Piazza San Giorgio, launched to preserve and revitalize pizzica, the fast, spinning folk dance and music tradition of Salento long associated with tarantismo, the folk belief that dancing to the rhythm could cure the delirium supposedly caused by a tarantula's bite.