Alongside Casalvecchio di Puglia and Chieuti, it is one of the Arbëreshë communities still existing in Apulia.

The territory around San Marzano was already inhabited in the Neolithic (5th millennium BC), as confirmed by numerous finds.

Furthermore, numerous archaeological finds existed in Contrada Pezza Padula, such as coins and the remains of a countryside villa, perhaps belonging to a patrician.

[5] Occasional findings of tombs from the early medieval period with funerary furnishings as well as some Byzantine coins are preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto.

Due to the continuous incursions of the Saracens, which lasted from the 8th century until around the year 1000, the inhabitants retreated to the nearby scattered caves and communities in the hinterland, where they could live more peacefully.

[12] By 1508, some Corfiot and Epirote families from the nearby village of Fragagnano had settled in the lower part of San Marzano.

In 1536, Capuzzimati also acquired in emphyteusis from the clergy of Taranto the adjacent fiefdom "de li Riezzi" (Rizzi), [7] [14] where the medieval Castrum Carrellum was located.

In that period, the territory was populated by numerous Epirote families who, in addition to their language of origin, brought with them their customs, cultural practices and faith to their new homeland.

The town sprawls in Alto Salento, with an altitude of 134 meters above sea level, on a little hill of the Murge Tarantine.

Thirty-two experts from twenty-three cities participated, as well as cultural associations from Albania and various parts of the world, including Italian-Albanian intellectuals.

The Albanians who settled in San Marzano originally came from southern Albania and brought with them their Byzantine religious rite.

With the papal bull of 1536, Pope Paul III gave the Albanians in Italy full recognition within the Catholic Church.

[22] In a 1575 report to the Holy See of Rome, the Archbishop of Taranto, Lelio Brancaccio, called the Albanians of Albania Tarantina "people without faith and without law".

Although this custom had weakened over the centuries, its importance to wedding ceremonies can still be seen and the term "crown" continued to indicate the sacrament of marriage.

[27] On the morning of the second day, before the patronal procession, mattre (tables for the poor) are prepared and blessed by the parish priest.

[28] In addition to the patronal feast of Saint Joseph, on the 1st and 2nd of July, the patronage of Our Lady of Graces (Maria Santissima delle Grazie) is celebrated.

The civil and religious authorities of San Marzano partake in a pilgrimage from the town centre to the Sanctuary.

The Borsci family originally came from Borsh (in Lukovë, Albania) but moved to Apulia in the medieval period.

The Mediterranean terroir plays an important role in the production of the Apulian Primitivo and Negroamaro grapes.