Salvatore Gianfrancesco retraces one of the most unique rituals linked to Good Friday in Molfetta.

"La Frasca. Rites and traditions," a new photographic exhibition for the Diocesan Cultural Center.

It consists of 30 selected shots to represent a particular Easter tradition of the Molfetta community, namely the ritual of the frasca.

The choice of olive branches that will accompany the statue of Jesus to the garden, carried out over the years by the Confraternity of the Assumption, is a true ritual inserted in the local tradition, an intangible asset that is immortalized in every step with this reportage. It starts during the olive harvest period with the selection of branches that must be preserved with their fruits until the Easter period. Three branches will be selected with this ritual: one for the first Friday of Lent, when the statue is displayed for the related prayer, one for the setting up of the sepulcher, and the last one for the procession of the Mysteries on Good Friday.

The photographs, taken over the years by Salvatore Gianfrancesco, therefore gather a precious testimony of the varied world of intangible traditions of our community linked to the Easter period. The exhibition is promoted by the Diocesan Museum Foundation and the Confraternity Maria SS. Assunta in Cielo, chaired by Prior Davide Bufi, with the patronage of Holy Week in Puglia. Technical partners are Son Fine Arte and FeArT cooperative company.

The exhibition, set up inside the monumental hall of the Library of the Diocesan Cultural Center, will be inaugurated on Saturday, March 21 at 6 pm and will be open for free visits until April 12, 2026, from Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm and from 5 pm to 8 pm.

Visits for organized groups by reservation at 348 411 3699.