An appointment not to be missed all in Salento. On the night between 16 and 17 January, the largest bonfire ever built in the entire Mediterranean basin returns to be lit in Novoli on the occasion of the celebrations of Saint Anthony the Abbot. The construction of the focara, which begins at dawn on January 7, requires at least 100 people skilled enough to stand for hours on the rungs of the long stairs and pass the beams over each other over their heads, which then arrived in top are perfectly arranged by the manufacturer. Right on the top, on Christmas Eve, a flag is hoisted, on which is an image of the saint. The lighting takes place on the evening of January 16, through a fireworks display.

The focara is destined to burn all night and the following day, scattering large quantities of ash into the air that symbolizes purification, and millions of tiny sparks that light up the cold winter night.