A procession at sea and the light arches in the square

The Vieste calendar is that of every southern seaside town: the patronal feasts in spring, when the fishermen are at home, and then a long summer of evenings, food fairs and concerts on the seafront that runs into September.

Santa Maria di Merino

On 9 May the patroness is celebrated, the Madonna of Merino, who by tradition was found by fishermen on the beach of that name. The statue is carried in procession from the sanctuary outside town into the centre, and in the years when the route goes by sea the harbour boats all escort it together. It is the most deeply felt feast of the year.

San Giorgio and the carnival

On 23 April Saint George is celebrated, the other patron, with a procession through the alleys of the old quarter. The carnival, in February, fills the town with floats and masks and is one of the few moments in the year when the centre is full of local people rather than visitors.

The summer

From June to September there is something every evening: the markets on the seafront, concerts in the square, fairs devoted to fish, to paposcia, to olives. The neighbouring towns have their own: Peschici, Vico del Gargano, Mattinata. The campsites keep the calendar of what is happening within twenty kilometres.

The light arches

As everywhere in Puglia, the patronal feasts are recognised by their luminarie: structures of wood and bulbs up to twenty metres high, put up for two days and then taken down, which turn an ordinary square into something like a cathedral of light. Making them is a trade handed down in a handful of families.