Taranta Night 2020

Taranta Night 2020

music to start over

Nobody believed it, but again this year we had our Taranta Night 2020.
On 28 August the main square of Melpignano hosted a more intimate version of the most representative concert of the Apulian soul in the world.

Taranta night 2020

The 10,000 spectators of the previous editions are a distant memory, but this has not prevented those who have been able to follow the evening on the Italian national TV, to get excited and live it, perhaps dancing the taranta near the sofa at home.

What happened that August 28, we will try to describe it in this article, but before we proceed, we like  it to thank those who believed in it, those who, this year, wanted to make the taranta itself felt as strong, clear and passionate as always.

Night of the Taranta 2020: what is the taranta

The term taranta recalls the ancient phenomenon of tarantism. According to popular belief, tarantism was a disease caused by the bite of the tarantula (Lycosa tarentula), which occurred mainly in the summer months (harvest period) and which caused a state of general malaise – abdominal pain, catalepsy, sweating, palpitations – in which music, dance and colors represented the fundamental elements of the therapy which consisted, in fact, in a musical exorcism.

Music is therefore the fundamental element of this therapy of other times, we could easily speak of a first form of music therapy.

Today there are no more spiders to chase away and diseases to exorcise, but the music has remained.

And it has become a real symbol of our Puglia. Thousands of people come from afar every year to experience a crazy but unforgettable night.

Night of the Taranta 2020: guests

For the 2020 edition, an authentic Apulian was chosen as the star of the show: Sergio Rubini, from Grumo Appula, as he said, a village pretty much unknown to the world, but which remains important because it gave him its roots.

Guests of honor included the rock soul of Gianna Nannini and the warm voice of Mahmood.

And then music, dance and songs: many artists took turns in a Taranta Night that looks really good.

In this context of excellence, it is impossible not to mention the Taranta Popular Orchestra and the Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra, maestro Paolo Buonvino.

The concert opened with the song ‘Quannu te llai la facce in the morning’ – When you wash your face in the morning – and immediately after this piece, it was a crescendo of strong emotions.

The difficult situation we are experiencing was just a bad memory for two hours. This is the power of music. The notes managed to give us the strength to start over, to still believe that next year will be better.

"Is it worth sacrificing one's happiness in the name of reasonableness?"

This phrase inspired us when we were thinking about our next blog post. We live times where the unthinkable is our new normal and we are learning to adapt like probably never before in the name of our sanity. We scrambled to find ways that are “acceptable” when it comes to work, school, family, relationships and of course travel.   

Ode to Life

As soon as Sergio Rubini uttered words taken from Erasmus of Rotterdam’s Praise to Madness, the words got stuck in our mind and gave meaning to the whole evening.

Can you be happy and reasonable? Or do you have to be crazy? And what does it have to do with the pizzica dance?

Everything!

The pizzica was danced almost as a cure for hysteria. You were dancing and you were happy. You danced and the hysteria went away, even if only for a while.

This is what events like this need, even in 2020, even when it seems like they can only create problems.

We all need two hours of madness, unleashed pizzica dance and a rich meaningful life.

This, will help us gain the strength needed to cope and wait for next year. For a better year!

And we at Beeyond will be ready to welcome you, whether you take a full tour or simply a stay in one of our villas,  we will wait for you so we can give you some evenings of lucid madness.

Praise to Madness

Excerpt in English

In 1509 Erasmus of Rotterdam publishes a small book entitled Eulogy of Madness, the question that Erasmus asks is: is it worth sacrificing one’s happiness in the name of the reasonableness of rationality? The answer is No!

Erasmus says that to be happy you have to be crazy; yes, crazy because it is madness that helps you to forget and overcome all the things that are wrong, the things that are not right and that hurt you, even death.

Erasmus writes that if life spreads it is only due to madness because only madness helps us to find pleasure even when there seems to be no trace of pleasure, it is madness that makes us fall in love with a stranger and rely on him totally, which makes us love children even before knowing them, before knowing what they will become; that makes us cry watching a movie or listening to a song; it is the madness that makes us happy as children if the soccer team you support wins the football championship.

In short, to be happy, you need to be crazy, to look for unknown paths, to throw oneself into unthinkable undertaking and accomplish the impossible; it is only madness that allows us to live and dream.

Our take

According to Erasmus of Rotterdam, it takes a “bit” of madness to be happy. As absurd this may sound at first, we think that a bit of lucid madness could be the answer to many problems.  Because we love being happy, travel, meet new people and enjoy life, we invite you to reflect of this concept.

May Music, Taranta and Puglia inspire you and touch you with the same intensity it has touched us; opening doors we didn’t even know it existed. 

May you find your door, may you dream intensively and may you travel happy wherever your journey takes you! 

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Remedy to Vacation and Anxiety

Welcome home!

that special something you need on vacation

Have you ever felt super excited to go on vacation and yet, anxious at the same time? We have good news for you! We will help you get to the root of the issue so you can go confident on your long deserved vacation leaving behind any anxiety.  

Why do I feel anxious right before my vacation

First of all, you are not the only one! Many people feel this anxiety before leaving for vacation. This is even truer for those people who tend to be in control of everything happening around them. Going on vacation is something absolutely beautiful because of the new places you will see, the people you will meet, the wonderful experiences just waiting for you to happen, the relax and the fun. 

All this is good stuff but it also means you have to explore the unknown and that is exactly why some people start to stress out. 

The trick? Familiarize with your itinerary before you leave, this will help you a great deal. Hard to believe? Let’s do a quick and simple experiment: picture yourself in a pitch dark room trying to find the door or the light switch…you will be most likely moving very slowly with your hands straight in front of you to feel any obstacles that might be in your way and afraid to trip over something. 

You get the idea right?

Now, picture the same situation but this dark room is your bedroom, you will be absolutely fine because here even in the darkness of the night, because it is a very familiar place and you know exactly where the door or the light switch is so you have nothing to fear.

The same concept can be applied for your vacation anxiety, the more familiar you are with the itinerary, the less stressed you will be.

Agriturismo Serafina

What else can you do to enjoy your vacation?

Easy! You need to carefully select and trust the company planning your vacation. A company like BeeYond Travel falls into the “boutique” Tour Operator category so that means we have chosen to work with fewer clients but service them completely from start to end. We have also chosen to only specialize in few selected regions of Italy: Puglia and Sicily so we can really focus on these areas.

What does this all mean? It means that we are able to add the personal element often missed and so important for you. It means we personally know every villa, every supplier and this allow us to better match your needs. 

In addition, we have chosen to only work with those suppliers who share our same vision because they truly are an extension of our Team.

Real people, real stories

An example is our latest addition to the Villas/Accommodations portfolio: Agriturismo Serafina in Otranto. We have personally known the family behind this oasis of paradise in one of the most idyllic area all over Italy and in the world. Although they have this incredible place, their accommodations are geared to a clientele different from our typical Traveller so we could not work together. 

Until now!!!

All this changed when they decided to build the first and only apartment which matches our Travellers needs. We could not be happier to add this apartment to our inventory because the apartment is only the beginning of your incredible vacation. Upon check-in, you will immediately feel “at home” and with “Family”; everything will feel right and now the circle is closed…you can “let go”, because there is nothing else that can stop you from having an amazing vacation. When you come back, you will be thanking us for connecting you with such amazing people and the out-of-this-world homemade pastries prepared directly by Gabriella daily.

Check out Serafina Luxury Apartment

Serafina Luxury in Otranto

  • Adults: 2
  • Size: 667ft²

Serafina Luxury Apartment near Otranto  5/5 Luxury apartment within Agriturismo Serafina, 667 square feet in size, pool view, private patio 2 Guests | Just 1.3 miles from Otranto. Serafina Luxury in Otranto Adults: 2 Size: 667ft² View: Pool Side Bed Type: Queen bed Categories: Luxury Apartment Amenities: Adults only, Air conditioning, Bathroom essentials, Bicycle, […]


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Fashionably Puglia picked by Dior

Fashionably Puglia

unquestionably breathtaking

When we travelled for the first time to Otranto, we were immediately captured by the stunning beauty of the quaint little town which ranks year after year as one of the most beautiful Italian hamlets.

Salento - land of the sun, the sea and the wind

We were puzzled! We could not understand why Italians would want to travel anywhere else in the world when they had so much beauty, rich art, amazing architecture, exceptional food, craftsmanship and traditions dating back centuries. Italians had all this and much more in their own backyard but still, vacation to them had to be a far away place. We felt it right away… Puglia, was a place our clients would fall in love with and so we decided to start our incredible adventure in Lecce. The same city Dior picked for its collection: Cruise 2021.

We want to share this moment with you because it is a very powerful statement of this luxurious region and yet so simple, just like some of the dresses Dior has presented to the whole world from Lecce, from the Florence of the south. Dresses so simple and yet of a disarming beauty! It is a reflection of this region and we cannot wait for everyone to travel again freely and be able to witness such beauty.

For now, seat back and relax with this amazing collection by Dior, let the lights of the luminarie lights (the typical lights so popular in Puglia) mesmerize and the sound of the taranta (the popular dance) activate every single neuron because Puglia is much more than a vacation!

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Winemaking Tour Puglia?

Of course it’s possible

BeeYond-Travel-Alveare

By BeeYond Travel

How many of you have you ever been part of something exceptional? Something you still remember?

Vacation is just relax

What if we told you that you will be working on your next vacation? Of course we are NOT joking! As matter of fact, we have never been so serious and this is what you can expect in our Winemaking Tour Puglia. We invite you to read on.  

A vacation as authentic as it gets

Creating a tour, means having a network of trusted suppliers married to our most important principle to be able to do something out of the ordinary and powerful enough to change you.

It means taking a bunch of calculated risks so we are always one step ahead to avoid disasters.

It means months and months of planning and continuous back and forth with our providers until everything is just perfect. Just like a good wine!

Wine is king

Winelovers will probably agree with us. Wine means sharing wonderful memories with friends and family, but our goal is not to convince those folks; we want give this opportunity to Travellers and let them embrace wine on vacation, a concept that goes far beyond drinking a nice bottle of wine.  

Harvesting Introductions on vacation

The wine tour is definitely among the top experiences available in this extraordinary region of Puglia. It is an experience that allow Travellers  to get an idea of what winemaking means. Few hours topped with a wine tasting. 

It is a beautiful experience and that is why it is one of the most popular experiences while on vacation in Puglia.  It is so popular, we always got interesting feedback. Since we LOVE to listen, we have decided to make this experience a bit longer…7 nights longer! 

What does it mean

We have managed to put together a seven nights vacation: The winemaking Tour Puglia. This tour will be focused in the area where the Primitivo di Manduria, renowned all over the world, is produced. You will spend your days harvesting, tasting the best Apulian products, visiting quaint villages, taking part in Ceramic workshop and much more.

A vacation package for winelovers, families, good friends, and all those Travellers looking for the next vacation with a twist.

Only 7 Departures for 2020

Harvesting and winemaking in Puglia happens usually from late Summer to early Fall, time is limited, the availability is limited and the first departure is set for August 29, 2020. 

Are you ready to be part of a celebration? Part of an amazing winemakers family? Ready to take home a very special gift? Waste no more time and click the picture below to read all about this one-of-a-kind vacation . 

The Puglia Therapy Tour

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Slow Dining in Puglia

Slow dining in Puglia

an emotion to be experienced slowly

How many of you have ever tried to prepare a recipe seen on TV? How many, during this social distancing times, have followed video lessons with starred chefs who explain how to prepare a dish that you could only taste at the restaurant?

Let's face it, everyone, or almost everyone, has tried these experiences.

Many people nowadays follow online recipes considering that staying at home, is important to overcome this difficult moment. We know how much you enjoy delicious meals while you are on vacation so, we want to remind you that in Puglia preparing a recipe is a ritual, a sort of cathartic moment in which you go from everyday frenzy, to the therapeutic slowness of family moments.

Why not live this moment at least once in your life?

The online experiences to which we are now forced, sooner or later, fortunately, will end and we will be able to return to live true emotions, made of smiles and human contacts.

This is why we at Beeyond Travel have come up with this therapeutic experience

An experience for the palate and the mind, in an exceptional location, just outside the walls of Lecce’s historic center. Learning how to eat well is not only a must for our health, it is also living a unique moment, which you will remember for a long, long time.

So, ready to experience the Apulian cuisine?

Apulian cuisine is now considered one of the best in the world. Be careful though, we are not talking about a simple meal, we are talking about a real dining experience. We are talking about a dream to live with your travel companions. There is a subtle difference between a holiday and a dream; this subtle difference lies in the importance we give to the emotions that dream is able to awake.

What is the secret ingredient of Slow Dining in Puglia?

The secret ingredient is the Time we dedicate to this dream…lots of time. The secret ingredient is to live everything slowly, forgetting the ticking clock. Salento is the ideal place to experience this pleasant slowness and take the time to truly enjoy farm to table cuisine.

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