27th International Festival of Music Bands “Valle d'Itria”

Cisternino, Puglia, Italy. Thursday / Sunday 24/27-July-2025.

The International Festival of Music Bands is now in its 27th year. We have been here for several of the previous festivals and they are great fun. See 25th International Festival of Music bands “Valle d'Itria”, also 2022 and 2018 (not blogged!). We missed the last couple of years because of our InterRail trips around Europe.

Friday 25-July-2025. We missed the first day proper of the festival because we had arranged to go out for supper with friends at Il Grappolo on the outskirts of Cisternino where we had an excellent meal. 

Saturday 26-July-2025. Day two of the International Festival of Music Bands. We took a small stroll around town to see them setting up. There were a number of food stalls.

The Polish majorettes getting in some rehearsal time.

We had booked ourselves a meal in the terrazzo of Tre Lanterne in the main square with the aim of watching the parade from the rooftop. Unfortunately, we had not checked the program; on Saturday the performances are all on the stage by Porta Grande. The street parades happen on Sunday.

After the meal we strolled down to Piazza Garibaldi and found a bench to perch ourselves on.

One of the stalls was Punzi, the local artisanal brewery, so we had a couple of small beers.

There were various bands but I hadn’t fully worked out which was which. 

At one point the majorettes came out and danced a very different style of dance. Dressed in flowing black dresses they danced a beautifully choreographed, graceful ballet, the equal of anything we have seen at Sadlers Wells. We saw it up on the big screen and thought it was a video being shown. It was only part way through that we realised that it was actually live but because of the crowds we hadn’t seen the dance itself. We were most impressed.

The Dutch band were easy to spot as they were wearing yellow clogs.

We have enjoyed their performances in previous years, they are clearly having a good time.

"Midnight at the oasis, Send your camel to bed." is my go to midnight post.

The concert was still going on as we headed home at 12:30.

Southern Italian life is such that even after midnight people are still strolling the streets, eating in restaurants and queueing for ice cream.

Restaurants in the main square going strong til well after midnight.

Sandrino are a small chain of eight Pugliese artisanal gelateria.

Sunday 27-July-2025. This was the final day of the international band festival with street parades. We were just finishing our supper when we heard the music. From our terrace we could see the Dutch band down Via La Fiera.  

... and another band on Corso Umberto I.

We popped down to Bar Fod in the main square, found ourselves a table to chill out at with a glass of wine and listen to the bands. 

First up in the white shirts was Banda Municipal di Lleida from Spain...

... with some synchronised marching.

Next in the blue T-shirts was Banda Musicale "Fabrizio Caroso" from Sermoneta in Italy. 

I’ve never seen an arm band music holder before. Clever device.

Then Corpo Bandistico "Il Pentagramma" from Vizzini, Italy.

Finally our favourite: Kleintje Pils from Holland.

They are clearly having  a load of fun.

Afterwards we went for a nightcap at Vineria del Borgo in Corso Umberto I where we found one of the Italian bands doing the same. When it first opened the measures were a bit mean but now they seem more generous (like going from 125 ml to 175 ml). They also have a new, young waiter who knows his wines and is very good at making recommendations. As a result we tend to go there a lot more often nowadays.

Across the street was a wholesome example of Italian life. Young teenagers sitting, relaxing on the steps. No ferals youths here.

By then I was well ready for my bed.

Itria Valley Weather Forecast

Cisternino, Puglia, Italy. Tuesday 01-June-2025. 

"You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." *

There is an old boys’ gossiping bench across the road from us just outside San Cataldo. For some time they have been there every evening recording what I had assumed was some kind of podcast. Recently they put up a poster behind the bench and now the mystery is solved. Giancarlo, the nice man who runs the newsagents, is reading the following day’s weather forecast for the Valle D’Itria.

I am informed by our Italian tutor that he is also actively involved in the Museo del Clima (Museum of Weather) in nearby Caranna. Unfortunately it is currently closed but I shall keep an eye open for if and when it reopens.

He also occasionally has guests to announce upcoming events. You can see the forecast every day by following him on Instagram, YouTube or Facebook.

Many of the forecasts end with a pan to the “boys” on the bench for a wave to camera or a round of applause for Giancarlo.

* Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan.

Everyday Differences in Puglia: Rounding Down The Bill

Puglia Differences: an occasional series on things that strike this Brit as so very Italian. 

I don’t know what Americans would make of Italian restaurants. Not only do they not expect a tip - it’s just not part of the Italian culture - but also they often round the bill down. They will knock a couple of Euros off to make the total a nice round number.

I used to think that it was because we were locals and regulars in Cisternino. However, last week we were in Polignano a Mare (about 20km away) for a very nice lunch and the same thing happened. The total was €105 rounded down with a discount to give us €100.

Perhaps our making the effort to speak Italian helps but I think they just do it to be nice. It is not really going to affect their bottom line, we get a nice feeling about the restaurant and maybe they hope it will encourage us to return.

Everyday Differences in Puglia: Death Notices

Puglia Differences: an occasional series on things that strike this Brit as so very Italian.

In the UK, the average time between death and a funeral is typically one to two weeks. In Italy, the average is typically three to seven days. 

In the UK, this will usually mean an announcement in the local weekly paper. In Italy time is of the essence and so notices are quickly printed and posted on noticeboards around the town. If the person lives out of town, the notices will also appear on temporary boards on the wall at their house and surrounding country lanes  

In Cisternino the same family names keep cropping up, the local equivalent of Smith and Jones: Semeraro, Zizzi, D’Amico, Loparco.

As well as announcing the death and date of funeral, these notices will also announce memorial services to be held on the anniversaries of the deceased’s passing. 

Sadly, one of these notices is commemorating the third anniversary of the untimely death of our wonderful builder who did the restoration work on our current and previous apartments. He was a true gentleman, a craftsman and charming in every way. A prime example of “only the good die young”.

The notices will often specify “Non fiori ma opere di bene” which translates as “no flowers but good works” by which they mean donate to charity.

Waverley Villages

Farnham, Surrey. Sometime in the 1980s.

Rummaging through the pictures on my Mac I came across a folder of pen and ink illustrations that my father did for a book of walks around the Borough of Waverley. 

Our childhood pet was a black cat called Max and many of his illustrations feature a small black cat making a cameo appearance.

01 Thursley. 

02 Wonersh.

03 Elstead.

04 Dunsfold.

05 Bramley.

06 Chiddingfold.

07 Ewhurst.

08 Tilford.

© James Michael McLellan 2025.

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Borgo DiVino in Tour 2025

Cisternino, Puglia, Italy. Saturday 05-July-2023.

This was our third Borgo DiVino in Tour and it happily coincided with a visit from our friends Tim and Sarah who are staying with us for a week. The same routine as previously: you buy a ticket, get a glass and holder, but this year instead of a bunch of vouchers we were given a QR code. Rather like previous occasions, many of the exhibitors were not bothering to count how many glasses we'd had. Most were happily topping us up without scanning.

We got there around 7:30pm and in typical Italian style where things start late half the stall holders were still setting up. They had a number of posters explaining the wine regions, wine making process, etc. and this useful wine vocabulary.

The game plan was to go round the stallholders trying whites and rosés then do a second circuit sampling the reds. Most of the producers were Puglia based with a couple of outliers, including one from the Veneto. We did not make any notes so these descriptions are done from memory.

Our first stop was at Scarpello based in San Pancrazio Salentino, south of Brindisi where we tasted two delicious rosé, one made from susumaniello and the other from negroamaro.

Next stop was Terra di Maria, a family run winery based south of Foggia where we tried a verdeca and two rosé made from susumaniello and primitivo. A real family business - Maria is the mother after whom the estate is named, her son is the man pouring the wine here. Also helping out were his sister and girlfriend, all featured in their brochure. He explained, and showed us a video, of how they plant legumes between the vines and then leave the roots as green manure.

Cantina di Guagnano is a cooperative based near Lecce. First circuit we tried a lovely sparkling rosé made from negroamaro and later sampled their reds.  

We had a long chat with the whole family and especially the owner’s daughter who is an architect with an interest in Celtic languages. Mary was able to recommend a book "L'Orso Bianco Era Nero" (The white bear was black) and I told her about my father and the Coventry baths.

Angelo Maffione is based north of Bari on the coast. Here we tried two Malvasia: one white, one rosé. Often found as part of a blend, but here made alone. We all preferred the rosé made from malvasia nero.

Cantina Nistri just outside Taranto. A very jolly stall holder, he was happy to have just one QR scan and share his pride in his wines with all four of us.

"40 Are" from Manduria produce a very dark rosé from primitivo which was a bit too pungent for my palete.

We tasted at other stalls including a malvasia bianco from Conti Zecca, a bombino nero rosé from Torre Vento, three refreshing sparkling wines from the Veneto and several more but the memory is hazy. 

Then back to Cantina di Guagnano to taste their reds. We tasted two of their negroamaro and were amazed at the difference. Their standard negroamaro “Naqì” 2023, was good but the single vineyard negroamaro “Magliano” 2022 was superb. Only 6,550 bottles made. Two of which were duly purchased - a bargain at €15 each (discounted for the festival).

Finally back to Scarpello to try their reds, both delicious but Sarah and Mary preferred the negroamaro and Tim and I the primitivo. So we just had to buy a bottle of each!

To entertain the crowds there was a guy playing piano who we had seen a couple of days before outside San Cataldo. It may look like a baby grand but it actually packs down into a large suitcase. Instagram: iosonoaugusto.

After that it was a late supper at Osteria Piatti Chiari in Piazza Pellegrino Rossi.

Our haul from the night: three negroamaro and one primitivo.

Previous Borgo DiVino in Tour visits: [2022], [2023].