Magliano is a village in Puglia, in the 'heel' of Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. It is a frazione

Frazione

A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...

of the comune

Comune

In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

of Carmiano

Carmiano

Carmiano is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy. Carmiano is in the heart of the province of Lecce and Salento...

 in the province of Lecce

Province of Lecce

The Province of Lecce is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Lecce. Totally included in the Salento peninsula, it is the second most populous province in Apulia and the twenty-first most populous in Italy....

. It has a population of about 2500.

The village crest depicts a chain with five links, representing the five founding families of Magliano, and the branch of a cherry tree, once common in the area.

History

On 8 September 1943, Italy surrendered to Allied forces, ending her participation in WWII. The same day a crust was found depicting the Madonna, which is preserved in the Chapel of 8 September outside the village.

Festivals and events

The patron saint of Magliano is Saint Vitus

Vitus

Saint Vitus was a Christian saint from Sicily. He died as a martyr during the persecution of Christians by co-ruling Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian in 303. Vitus is counted as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers of the Roman Catholic Church....

, who is celebrated on 8 September in the Sagra della Friseddhra N'Capunata. This sees the distribution of Friseddhra, a Salento

Salento

Salento is the south-eastern extremity of the Apulia region of Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the main Italian Peninsula, sometimes described as the "heel" of the Italian "boot"...

 speciality made from barley

Barley

Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...

 bread

Bread

Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...

, olive oil and tomatoes.

The Sagra della Puccia is held on 17 January, a celebration of Saint Anthony the Martyr

Anthony the Great

Anthony the Great or Antony the Great , , also known as Saint Anthony, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Abba Antonius , and Father of All Monks, was a Christian saint from Egypt, a prominent leader among the Desert Fathers...

.