30 Meters per HourFrom an ancient Spanish origin, the rites of the Holy Week in Taranto are among the most important and emotional in Italy. The procession of the Holy Thursday and the Good Friday are followed by thousands. The first procession on Thursday is the “Addolorata” (Our Lady of Sorrows) starting at midnight and following a long route along the old and the new town only to come back the day after in the afternoon. On Friday the long Mysteries procession sets out from the church of St. Mary of Carmel returning the next morning after another long pilgrimage around the town. The pilgrims, called Perdoni, walk barefeet and mostly with faces covered with hoods. They are the sinners the ones pleading for forgiveness. The average speed of the processions is 30 meters per hour, an exasperate slowness accompanied by funeral marches. Every year a very terrestrial auction is organized to have the privilege to carry the statues with prices that fall well above the 50.000 Euro. Tradition, mysticism, slowness, dark business, this is all around Taranto during those days. | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace | © Giambattista Pace |