CLIMATE

With regard to the climatic situation throughout the year, sum­mer is characterized by nice weather with Afro-Tropical heat and oceanic humidity. Storms are not very frequent and July is the hottest month with high peaks of 30° C. The rainy season is in the fall, which stands out for its mild temperatures. The winter sea­son almost always brings low preassures; snowfall, although quite rare, always caused by Balkan infiltrations, occur in the months of January and February. Minimum temperatures drop a few degrees below zero. The harsh signs of winter are mitigated by the approach of spring, characterized by extremely variable weather conditions, where warm and cold days alternate.

The winds mainly blowing here are the humid scirocco from south-east, the cold north wind, as well as the west wind and the south-west wind. Humidity is around 60%.

The territory where the town stands is located in a temperate Mediterranean climatic zone with a secular tendency to dry heat and a certain shortage of rainfalls which usually occur only from fall to spring. Altogether rainfalls measures up to 600 mm. yearly.

With regard to the climatic situation throughout the year, sum­mer is characterized by nice weather with Afro-Tropical heat and oceanic humidity. Storms are not very frequent and July is the hottest month with high peaks of 30° C. The rainy season is in the fall, which stands out for its mild temperatures. The winter sea­son almost always brings low preassures; snowfall, although quite rare, always caused by Balkan infiltrations, occur in the months of January and February. Minimum temperatures drop a few degrees below zero. The harsh signs of winter are mitigated by the approach of spring, characterized by extremely variable weather conditions, where warm and cold days alternate. The winds mainly blowing here are the humid scirocco from south-east, the cold north wind, as well as the west wind and the south-west wind. Humidity is around 60%.

The contrade, in the town’s territory, cannot be identified with any of the classical, accepted meanings of the word, nor with the common one of fraction, which is rather restrictive; the contrada must be regarded as a demografic territorial unity. In practice it is a group of casedde (trulli) working around common spaces and which use (especially in the past) common services: the well, the threshing floor, the small church and so on. In more recent times, stores, schools and post-offices have enriched it, using a capillary and efficient road system which connects the districts to each other and to the urban center. The etymology of the name contrada, for many still obscure, apart from fascinating us, once resolved, furnishes manifold indications of historical and cultural character. Of the almost one hundred and fifty districts of Locorotondo we will list some, joining them together in groups that possess the same particuliarity:

Sant’Anna, San Marco, San t’Ella, Pantaleo, Rocchella... (from the small churches located therein);

Caramia, Campanelli, Casalino, Montetessa, Quei di Carlo, Santacroce... (from the noble families that had possessions and residences there);

Carbottiello, Cupa, Grotta, Pentimi, Pentimone... (from the name of some geomorphological particularity);

Casellone, Mulino, Serralta, Ospedale, Piergolo, Pozzomasiello, Trito... (from structural elements or buildings);

Calascione, Tagaro, Cerrosa, Mancinella, Uacella... (from country tools or natural elements).

During the last years, Locorotondo has been undergoing a change from the solely agricultural economy of ten years ago, to a mixed economy. Grape growing, which still represents a large part of agricultural activity, has taken on concrete form with the creation of some large wine industries, such as the Cantina Sociale and the Azienda Agraria Basile-Caramia, as well as some fairly important cooperative wine industries.

On the contrary, in the oil field, even though there are more companies, they are small or medium-size; however, both in the wine and oil field, companies have become promoters for the dif­ fusion and enhancing of the two products which are the pride of agricultural economy: the Bianco Locorotondo, a fresh, sunny white D.O.C wine (controlled designation of origin), and the generous and precious extra-virgin olive oil, both genuine pro­ducts of the noble mediterranean tradition. Following the steps of these successful activities, small and medium-size industries have been created, dealing in different fields, such as clothes manufac­turing, construction and other related products (floors, tiles, art­works, murals, etc...).

The typical and traditional cuisine of Locorotondo is deeply rooted in the healthy principles of the ancient mediterranean cui­sine. A large part of the local gastronomical tradition originates from popular and country cooking; the rich cuisine of the upper middle-class, once destined to few people, has had very little influence on social reality. Among the basic foods consumed, we must mention wheat, meat, cheese, vegetables and legumes. For seasoning, olive oil is essential and irreplaceable; there are different types of cheese, such as cacioricotta, which is evermore renowned, and tomato sauces. With regard to wheat there are two varieties, common and durum, and three versions: white flour, bran flour and who­lewheat flour, all largely used for recipes of country-style cooking.

Common wheat flour is used to make many types of tasty focac­ce (flat buns seasoned with tomato, oil, oregano, onion...), home made bread, fragrant taralli (ring-shaped biscuits), excellent friselle and several sweets (pettole, cartellate, fagottini, panzerotti). With common, durum and wholewheat flour, different kinds of home-made pasta are prepared: tasty tagliatelle with ragout, dried salted cod and chickpeas; cecolini served with different kinds of legumes; triddo, one of the few recipes to attribute to the opulent midle-class cooking, a typical home-made pasta made with eggs and cheese, seasoned with savoury turkey broth; finally orecchiette, symbol of the true tradition of Murgia, produced in different versions can be served in several ways: with fresh toma­to sauce crudaiola-style, with turnip iops, with ricotta cheese, with strong ricotta, with cacioricotta, with lamb ragout, rabbit ragout and many others.

Regarding meats, the ones of best quality are agnello (iamb) and agnellone (older iamb), because they are locally breeded, but in the local gastronomy there is a large use of the less valuabie meat-cuts: frattaglie (the entrails), and trippa (tripe). Two dishes that must abso­lutely be tasted are the so called gnumeredde suffuchete (filled roula­des in broth) and involtini rossi arrosto (roasted red roulades).

As far as legumes, broad beans have the place of honour, raw or with a few slices of bacon, or even in the classical well-known style, mashed and served with healthy wild vegetables. Besides beans, chick peas and lentils, there are also orobanche (broornrape), lampascioni (wild onions), asparagus, rucola (garden rocket), small peppers; all of them are savoury vegetables with an original and distinctive taste. Among the sweets, the best ones are copeta, a kind of nougat with honey and aimonds, fagottini, roll ups filled with jam, and dried figs.

A good part of Locorotondo’s social life revolves around two events: the first regarding the celebration of the town’s patron saint, St. George martyr; the other concerns the celebration of the protector saint, St. Rocco.

The cult of St. George martyr goes back to the origin of the town since it appears that the archaic name, Casale San Giorgio, was in fact linked to the saint for it was the sue of a former chur­ch. The festivities take place on the 22nd and 23rd of April with a classic fair and the emotionally moving cerimonies of the gift for the saint. Alongside the liturgical and traditional celebrations, there are sports events, spectacular and gastronomical events.

The festivity of St. Rocco, which takes place during ferragosto (the August holidays), goes exactly from the l4th to the l7th of August, and becomes more spectacular and exciting in concomi­tance with the hot holiday period.

It all begins on August 14, with the big village fair, it continues the next day, while the whole town is decorated with blazing lights and there is excitment in the air due to the arrival of family members and relatives living elsewhere, as well as several tourists, this way the general rehearsal of the feast takes place. The saint day starts early in the morning on August 16, with the Diana (a dirge played along the town’s streets by a small band), the day goes on with all the liturgical cerimonies, and all the profane events in a sweet and thrilling succession, until its conclusion with the late night firework display with an explosion of colours and roaring sounds which bring the feast to and end. The following day, the feast goes on in a more subdued tone, almost for the esclusive benefit of the residents of Locorotondo, who in this day enjoy the remnants of the festivity by participating Io the traditional festival of involtini rossi al fornello (red roulades cooked on the stove).

A very important festival linked Io the August holidays, occurs on the first Sunday of August, and regards the tasting of a Locorotondo specialty: the gnumeredde suffuchete.
This festival takes place in particular areas of the old town, where this typical dish and other local specialities can be tasted, while cheered by songs, music and dances, sipping a glass of nice Locorotondo white wine, and enjoing the magnificent view of Locorotondo in the cool evening.