The production of terracotta whistles boasts a long tradition in Rutigliano. These items are small, colourful and quirkily shaped, the playful and symbolic value of which has its origin in the local uses and customs. Until not long ago, every year on 17th January, for the day of Saint Anthony the Abbot, the patron of farmers, every boy used to give his beloved one a basketful of fruits, a symbol of the produce of the earth, with a cock-shaped whistle, the symbol of manliness, into it. This tradition is still continued by the local craftsmen, for instance the Moccia or Porcelli, and by the recurring celebration of a very successful feast, the Whistle Feast, held the last fortnight of January in the streets of Rutigliano.