In one of Italy’s strangest festivals, the people of Cocullo decorate the statue of St. Domenic (the protector against snake bites) with live snakes. As the creatures slither around they carry the statue in a procession through the town before releasing the snakes back into the forest.
Statue of St Domenic covered in snakes, carried in a parade during the Festival of Snakes in Abruzzo, Italy
Bread seller, Festival of Snakes, Cocullo, Abruzzi, Italy
See more blog posts of Italy’s festivals here