'A Purpetta d'a Nonna Festival (Neapolitan Meatball Festival)

A festival dedicated to the queen of Neapolitan cuisine

In the Nola area, just a few kilometers from Naples, the town of Scisciano hosts one of the most delicious festivals in Campania every May: 'A Purpetta d'a Nonna, the Neapolitan Meatball Festival. The event takes place in the Palazzuolo district, along Via Palazzuolo, and is organized by the Il Palazzo Volunteer Association with the moral patronage of the Municipality of Scisciano.

The undisputed star is a simple, iconic dish: the meatball in ragù, the kind prepared in many Neapolitan families on Sundays and passed down by grandmothers from generation to generation. Around this home-style recipe, the festival builds three evenings of gastronomy, folk music, and community spirit, with a special focus on the social value of shared food.

The menu: from grandma's meatballs to the cozzetiello

The food stalls offer a journey entirely dedicated to the meatball, served in all its traditional variations:

• Ziti pasta with meatball ragù, the signature first course of the Neapolitan Sunday;
• Grandma's meatballs, prepared according to the family recipe with ground meat, bread, eggs, cheese, pine nuts, and raisins;
• The 'cuoppo' of fried treats, featuring meatballs, salt cod, sausage with broccoli, and eggplant;
• The 'cozzetiello', a crusty bread heel stuffed with meatballs and sauce;
• Street food snacks like fries and fried 'graffe' donuts;
• Wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and coffee.

In the 2026 edition, the complete menu — first course and second course (or the cozzetiello), plus the fried cuoppo and water — was priced at 17 euros, while admission to the festival area remained free for everyone.

Live folk music every night

Every evening, starting at 9:30 PM, the festival stage comes alive with concerts of Campanian and Mediterranean folk music. Pizzica, tarantella, tammurriata, and contemporary Neapolitan rhythms alternate over the three nights: a choice consistent with the spirit of the event, which aims to be, above all, a village feast where people dance outdoors between one dish and another. The stalls open at 8:00 PM, allowing guests to dine leisurely before the shows begin.

An event designed for families

'A Purpetta d'a Nonna is not just a food and wine festival: the event area also hosts a fairground space dedicated to children, equipped dining tables, and an outdoor performance area. It is the kind of event where different generations coexist effortlessly, from grandparents who recognize the family recipe to younger visitors drawn by the fried cuoppi and the music.

Scisciano and the Nola area

Scisciano is a small town in the Metropolitan City of Naples, in Campania, nestled in the fertile plain that stretches between Nola, Marigliano, and San Vitaliano, behind Mount Vesuvius. It is an area with a strong agricultural tradition and deep-rooted popular identity, where patronal feasts and festivals still mark the community calendar. The hamlet of Palazzuolo, which hosts the event, is a small rural locality that becomes the center of the town's social life for three nights a year.

For visitors, the festival is also an opportunity to discover a part of Campania less touched by mass tourism, half an hour's drive from Naples and very close to Nola, with its historic center and the famous Festa dei Gigli.

Information and contacts

• Where: Via Palazzuolo, Palazzuolo, Scisciano (NA)
• When: In May, for three consecutive evenings from Friday to Sunday
• Hours: Food stalls from 8:00 PM, shows from 9:30 PM
• Admission: Free
• Organization: Il Palazzo Volunteer Association, with the moral patronage of the Municipality of Scisciano
• Info: +39 329 6115529 — www.apurpettadanonna.it