The cobblestone streets of the italian historic center come alive with people on pilgrimage and others heading to the square to participate in the festivities.
Spread throughout Italy, the tradition of "stornelli" dictates that the musicians are accompanied by tambourines, accordions, and guitars.
The folk dance of the Taranta takes its name from the venomous spider whose bite is believed to cause a kind of delirium.
The Taranta dance is linked with the bite of the spider, which often occurred during the wheat harvest.
The wheat fields once extended right up to the walls of the ancient city.
