Scorrano and the ancient art of lighting the night

Scorrano is a small town in the province of Lecce, already inhabited in the Bronze Age, as can be deduced from the two menhirs near the town center. During the Republican phase it came under Roman domination. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it was colonized by Greeks and Byzantines. With the domination of the latter, the center expanded and reached a greater importance that allowed it to become a fiscal municipality (Korìon) controlling the smaller nearby residential agglomerations. In the Norman era, with Tancredi d’Altavilla, it was part of the County of Lecce and subsequently of the County of Alessano. Various feudal lords succeeded one another over the centuries. Scorrano came under the control of the de Brienne and then of the Angevins, the Maremonte and then of the Trani, the Milezzi and, in 1686, of the Frisari family who held these lands until the abolition of feudalism in 1806.

Of the ancient walls of the medieval city, only the entrance gate called “Porta Terra” remains. In the historic center you can admire buildings in Renaissance and Baroque style. The Church of the Capuchins, built in the seventeenth century, houses a precious canvas by Catalano depicting the ascent of Jesus to Calvary. The Parish Church, dedicated to Santa Domenica, patron saint and protector of the city, also from the seventeenth century, houses paintings by Manfredi da Scorrano and Vincenzo da Rogata. Also worthy of interest are the seventeenth-century palace of the Veris delli Ponti and the Ducal Palace of the Guarini, from 1700, built on the site of the pre-existing castle from the Aragonese era.

Every year from 5 to 9 July, Santa Domenica, the town's patron saint, is celebrated with an exceptional festival: the Night of Lights. According to legend, the Saint, around 1600, appeared in a dream to an elderly woman, announcing that she would free the town from the terrible plague epidemic that was afflicting it, making herself the town's patron saint. The sick, once healed, lit oil lamps on the windows as a sign of gratitude and continued to do so every year since then during that period. Today, tens of thousands of visitors crowd the streets of Scorrano to admire the great architectures of lights that the masters of the art of parature create for the occasion. The imposing structures, covered with thousands of colored light bulbs, recreate with singular plays of light some of the most famous monuments in the world, such as the Colosseum, the Tower Bridge or the Eiffel Tower. A unique spectacle, which has earned Scorrano the title of World Capital of Illuminations. Don't miss the moment of the lighting of the lights, made even more suggestive by the combination of lights, music and fireworks.