Domenico Giannantonio

This is an ancient Italian tradition in the region called Abruzzo; this is the history of a saint, San Domenico, who is the protector by the serpents venom. Every year, the first day of May, thousands of people go to this small town called Cocullo to venerate the saint and his snakes. A true collective ecstasy. Each person touches and caresses the snakes that the "serpari" found in the nearby mountains in the previous days. Snakes become the friends of every human being, child or adult. 
No harm is done to any snake today. They are protected. 
The veneration of San Domenico is an ancient tradition that attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over the region and also from other parts of Italy.