NAP:
La Festa di Sant'Antuono – When Naples Beats the Devil Away

Naples, Italy – On the frosty morning of January 17, a sound unlike any other echoes through Naples' Spanish Quarter. The thunderous "Battenti di Sant'Antuono" – teams of men wielding giant hammers on wine barrels – begins its annual exorcism of winter's gloom in one of Europe's most explosive folk rituals.

The Devil's Rhythm

This 800-year-old tradition sees 12 rival "battenti" teams from across Campania transform the historic center into a percussive battlefield:

  • The "Devil's Barrel" at Piazza Dante takes 333 strikes to rupture (one for each demon Sant'Antuono defeated)
  • Alleys become drumlines as butchers, bakers and fishermen sync their beats using tools of their trades
  • At noon, the archbishop blesses the "Carro di Fuoco" – a flaming cart pulled through crowds by barefoot devotees

2026's Unprecedented Events

  • The Return of the "Cantori a Figliola" – A long-lost style of throat-singing performed only on this day
  • The American Challenge – NYC's Brooklyn Battery joins with repurposed fire hydrants as drums
  • Midnight Oil Lighting – 10,000 lamps will flicker to life simultaneously in the Quartieri Spagnoli

Why Brave the Cold?

"This isn't folklore – it's Naples' reset button," explains anthropologist Clara Esposito. "That first cracked barrel means spring's coming, that we survived another winter." Participants claim the vibrations cure migraines – and at least three engagements happen annually when couples bond over shared rhythm.

PrestigeFly's Insider Access

✈ Winter business class deals with Jan 16 arrivals
🍷 Post-ritual feast at a 1700s cantina where the wine flows until the last hammer falls

"We don't just book trips – we time them to the heartbeat of the city."