LECCE – The Feast of the Madonna di Cerrate returns on Thursday 25th and Friday 26th April, a popular anniversary of the period following Easter which is celebrated at the Abbey of Santa Maria di Cerrate, a property granted to the FAI – Italian Environment Fund by the Province of Lecce since 2012.
From 2018 – the year of completion of the restoration of the church and its reopening for worship – the Foundation is proposing this great local festival with the solemn Eucharistic celebration, which this year will be officiated on Thursday 25 April at 9 am by Monsignor Luigi Pezzuto, apostolic nuncio , and by Don Alessandro Scevola, rector of the church of Cerrate. Afterwards, at 10am, in the presence of the institutions, the fair will officially open with cheerful Salento musical entertainment by the instrumental ensemble “Cromatic Quintet” and with the students of the “Tito Schipa” Conservatory of Lecce.
Since the Middle Ages, the festival in honor of the Madonna has been closely linked to the ancient Lu Panieri fair, which represents for the people of Lecce and the inhabitants of the neighboring municipalities a piece of local history, a childhood memory, a tradition that is renewed thanks to YOU DO. The Abbey of Cerrate, immersed in a landscape of olive groves, fruit trees and cultivated areas, in fact tells the story of a double soul: in addition to its function as a place of worship, it was also a farm and an important center of agricultural production.
Historically a small market of “donuts, toys, crockery, dried and fresh fruit and various small parts” – as reported by the historian and patriot Sigismondo Castromediano – Lu Panieri in its contemporary version opens up to craftsmanship, ancient crafts and local products with over 40 exhibitors: from the chair and basket weaver to the embroiderer, the loom and the bobbin maker, from the producers of ceramic, rush and olive wood products. Many of the artisans involved are inspired by and reinterpret traditional processes and techniques to create and transform their artefacts into true works of art. From this year the offer of typical dishes of the “poor” Salento cuisine will also be even richer, to offer everyone the opportunity to taste the local delicacies even during lunch time.
This new edition of the fair is enriched with important news: on Friday 26 April, at 5.30 pm, a cultural meeting is scheduled with Gabriella Genisi, author of the successful TV series Lolita Lobosco. Inspired by some passages from her writings, Genisi, in the guise of “macara”, a typical figure of Salento folklore, will intertwine tales and popular traditions – rites, customs, recipes – to revive the spirit and cultural identity of the area. The fascinating story will be alternated with songs of love and torment, lullabies and serenades, in dialect and Griko, interpreted by the artist Anna Cinzia Villani, who will be accompanied by some typical tools of everyday life (table for washing clothes, bottle opener, etc. .) transforming them, for the occasion, into percussion instruments.
An important example of Apulian Romanesque, the Abbey and its restored church will be open to visits over both days. Once a Byzantine monastery, then a typical farm, the Cerrate Abbey has returned to tell the richness and charm of the historical, artistic, cultural and landscape identity of Salento.
Entry to the fair is subject to availability, therefore booking is strongly recommended. For the Holy Mass, entry is free while seats last. The initiative is in collaboration with the FAI Delegation of Lecce and with the expert Sandra Cretì.
Days and times: Thursday 25th and Friday 26th April fair opening from 10am to 7pm. Eucharistic rite Thursday 25th April at 9am. Guided tours Thursday 25th April at 10am, 11.30am, 4pm and 5.30pm, and Friday 26th April at 10am, 11.30am , 3.30pm and 4.30pm. Meeting with Gabriella Genisi on Friday 26 April at 5.30pm.
Fair entrance fees: Full price €8.50; FAI members, National Trust, agreements (the FAI 200, FAI Donor Card, Corporate Golden Donor, Guardian of Beauty, Louvre), disabled people, children up to 5 years free; Reduced (6-18 years) and students (19-25 years) €4; Family ticket (2 adults and children 6-18 years old) €20;
Entrance fees to the fair + guided tour of the Abbey: Full price €14; FAI members, National Trust, agreements (the 200 of the FAI, FAI Donor Card, Corporate Golden Donor, Louvre), disabled people €5.50; Children up to 5 years and Beauty Caretaker free, Reduced (6-18 years) and Students (19-25 years) €9.50; Family ticket (2 adults and children 6-18 years old) €35.
For information: [email protected]; 0832 361176; www.lupanieri.it; www.fondoambiente.it
Tags: Feast Madonna Cerrate Panieri fair
