The patron saint of San Marzano di San Giuseppe is Saint Joseph, celebrated on 19 March, a date that coincides with Father's Day and falls in the season when olive trees are pruned.
The feast anticipated the abstinence from meat and dairy that the Arbëreshë, the town's Italian-Albanian community, constantly observed during Advent and Lent. The origin of the bundle procession dates back to an event of the early 19th century, when, due to extremely low temperatures and excessive hardship, the residents of San Marzano decided that year to forgo the usual festive peaks. The town also holds the Parish of San Carlo Borromeo and the Terra delle Gravine Regional Nature Park.
