# Salento cultural tourism promotion > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/salento-cultural-tourism-promotion > Updated: 2026-08-05T22:33:15.000Z. Sources: 5. Developments: 2. In early August 2026 the Salento peninsula of Italy’s Province of Lecce hosted a series of traditional summer festivals across towns such as Maglie, Galatina, Copertino, Neviano, Felline, Minervino di Lecce, Lecce and Vaste. The events combined local devotion, folklore, food and music while travel writers highlighted the region’s lesser‑known medieval villages and rupestrian churches as hidden cultural attractions. Later in the same month, the town of Galatina launched a focused cultural‑tourism programme running from 2 to 20 July 2026. Backed by the Pro Loco and the Regione Puglia, the initiative branded the town as a “City of Art and Healing,” offering guided tours of historic sites, a sensory art exhibition linked to the area’s tobacco heritage, children’s workshops, and a culinary lab featuring traditional Salento pasta. Together, the festivals and the targeted programme illustrate a coordinated effort to draw visitors to Salento’s interior heritage and boost cultural tourism. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-05: Galatina launches cultural tourism program as City of Art and Healing Galatina’s Pro Loco, backed by Regione Puglia, runs July 2‑20, 2026 events—tours, art‑tobacco exhibit, kids’ workshops, and pasta‑making labs—to promote the town as a City of Art and Healing. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/galatina-launches-cultural-tourism-program-as-city-of-art-and-healing ### 2026-08-05: Salento region in Italy celebrates summer festivals and highlights hidden cultural attractions Salento's Province of Lecce hosts August festivals across towns like Maglie and Galatina, while travel guides spotlight medieval villages and rupestrian churches as hidden cultural attractions. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/salento-region-in-italy-celebrates-summer-festivals-and-highlights-hidden-cultural-attractions --- Cite as: Salento cultural tourism promotion. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/salento-cultural-tourism-promotion