“Luminous Horizons” is a shared path that looks to the future by starting from its roots, enhancing identity heritage and turning it into a concrete opportunity for social growth.

Promoted by the Rotary Club of San Giovanni Rotondo (District 2120), “Luminous Horizons” was officially presented on February 26 at Palazzo Dogana, the headquarters of the Province of Foggia.

What makes it special is the network of energy and expertise it brought together: many associations from the area chose to walk this path together, joining forces, ideas, and different sensitivities to create inclusive opportunities for the community. The project involved the Associazione Le Fracchie, the cooperatives Fo.Co. Onlus and MI.FA. Onlus, the Franciscan community of the Friars Minor of San Matteo and Stignano, the Pro Loco “G. Serrilli”, and Protezione Civile SOS SM27, under the patronage of the Province of Foggia and the Municipality of San Marco in Lamis.

Among the entities involved was also the CAS of Stignano, “Cas@ Stignano,” in San Marco in Lamis (FG), and its beneficiaries, who had the opportunity to experience authentic knowledge and active participation in the life of the local community through the preparatory phases leading up to Easter celebrations. Through dedicated workshops and moments of genuine interaction, these young people had the chance to immerse themselves fully in the vibrant heart of Sammarchese tradition, gaining a 360-degree understanding of the historical and spiritual value of the Good Friday procession and culminating in a powerful symbolic gesture: this year, they too pulled the “Fracchia dei Sammarchesi nel Mondo,” the quintessential symbol representing the unbreakable bond with this land, for those who are far away by choice as well as for those who arrived in the area in search of a new beginning.

The program was packed with various commitments and appointments, among which stand out the workshops for building the fracchie, led by master fracchisti, who introduced the CAS beneficiaries to this ancient manual art made of fire and passion.

Another workshop focused on another foundational aspect of the local Sammarchese tradition: traditional breadmaking. “Hands in the Dough: Tradition, Encounter and Inclusion” was a hands-on workshop carried out in collaboration with DolceForno di Simone Tenace, a very young entrepreneur from San Marco in Lamis, who opened the doors of his bakery out of the deep conviction that a territory grows also when it chooses to become a place of encounter. During the workshop, the boys and girls learned the history of local bread, its organoleptic characteristics, its connection to the territory and family traditions. Then came their hands in the dough: ingredients, techniques, rising times, shaping, baking. A second session saw the trainee bakers trying their hand at making the Canestrello Pasquale, a cornerstone of local culinary tradition linked to Easter celebrations.

Great importance was also given to the involvement of the students of the IISS “Pietro Giannone,” specializing in Industry and Crafts for Made in Italy, who put their talent at the service of tradition by creating the costumes of the “Fracchista.” These creations were presented on April 1 at the school theater, the result of work that brought together local craftsmanship, youthful creativity, and collaboration between the school and volunteer organizations.

As mentioned, the Good Friday procession marked the culmination of a journey that had begun months earlier. The procession of the Addolorata was not only a moment of faith and history, but a choral message of brotherhood that started from Gargano and could reach everywhere:

the boys of the CAS, their active participation, and the warmth of the entire community — all helped create something simply extraordinary.

If there is one thing that Orizzonti Luminosi reminded us of, it is that “roots do not divide; they light the way for those who choose to walk together.”