I was born in San Marco in Lamis. An ancient village perched at 686 metres above sea level, in the green heart of the Gargano, where beech forests open onto silent valleys and the sky seems bigger than anywhere else.
An Ancient Village
San Marco in Lamis has very ancient origins. Its name derives from a church dedicated to Saint Mark and from the Arabic word lamis, which indicated a type of terrain. Over the centuries it has been a village of shepherds, farmers and craftsmen -- quiet, tenacious people who survived geographical isolation by building a strong, cohesive community.
The Procession of the Fracchie
San Marco in Lamis is famous throughout the world for the Fracchie Procession on Good Friday -- a unique event with no equivalent anywhere else on Earth. The Fracchie are enormous wooden torches in the shape of an inverted cone, weighing from 50 kilos up to 20-25 quintals, built by neighbourhood groups weeks in advance and then dragged by hand through the flames on the night of Good Friday.
Their purpose is to illuminate the path of the Virgin Mary of Sorrows. The fire, heat, smoke and silence of the watching crowd create an indescribable atmosphere. The tradition is documented from around 1820 and has never been interrupted.
Read the full article about the FracchieThe Bread of San Marco
The bread of San Marco in Lamis is something special. A large loaf, two kilos, of fine durum wheat semolina, baked in a wood-fired oven. The crust is hard, almost burnt at the edges -- and that is where the best flavour lives. The crumb is fragrant, moist, compact.
It was eaten for days. Rubbed with tomato, drizzled with good extra virgin oil, dusted with fine salt and Gargano oregano. It was the children's snack, the quick supper for those coming back from the fields, the food that never ran out because it was always good, always available, always honest.
How to get there
San Marco in Lamis is about 25 km from Foggia, on the SP 57. In summer it can also be reached from Manfredonia following the road that climbs towards the inner Gargano. The village is well worth a visit, especially in spring when the surrounding woods are in bloom.
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