As the legend goes, there was only one way to survive the bite of a tarantula and the workers in the fields of Apulia discovered it. When the spider bit you and the venom started to move within your body, you had to move with it and the only way to flush out the poison was to dance. And it was from this story that the traditional dance of the Salento region, called the pizzica, which literally translates as ‘bite’, was born.

On the occasion of the Third Week of Italian Cuisine in the World, La Notte della Taranta –  Italy’s biggest foundation devoted to preserving pizzica and its tradition –  is bringing their amazing dancers and musicians with their unique, Southern Italian sound to the Embassy of Italy In Washington DC.