A Scella 'e Guanto Festival

A homemade pastry turned into a town festival

In Vitulazio, a town of about 7,700 inhabitants in the province of Caserta, the A Scella 'e Guanto Festival was created to bring back to the public square a pastry that has always belonged to the town's home kitchens. The Pro Loco Vitulatina, with the patronage of the Municipality of Vitulazio, chose this specialty as a symbol of an ancient, authentic cuisine passed down from generation to generation by the skilled hands of local mothers and grandmothers: no written recipes, just family word-of-mouth and the patience of those who knead the dough.

What is "A Scella 'e Guanto"?

The name is in the local dialect and refers to the guanto caleno, a fried leavened dough ring common in the Agro Caleno, the fertile countryside surrounding Vitulazio that takes its name from the ancient city of Cales. It is a humble pastry in terms of ingredients, yet rich in preparation: soft dough, slow rising, deep-frying, and that golden surface that is recognizable at a glance. At the festival, it is served according to the recipes of local housewives, who remain the true intangible heritage of the event.

Two days of stalls, music, and conviviality

The event follows the classic format of Campanian festivals: food stalls open in the evening and remain the heart of the celebration, while the stage hosts live folk music. Alongside the star pastry, other traditional dishes are featured, most notably the gnocchi with sausage prepared on-site and served for Sunday lunch.

• Tasting of "A Scella 'e Guanto" and local products
• Sunday lunch with gnocchi and local sausage
• Neapolitan folk and ethno-folk music concerts
• Karaoke evenings, entertainment, and social gatherings
• Free admission to the main town square

From the first editions to today

The second edition took place on October 12 and 13, 2024, in Piazza Municipio, featuring the New Legal Band on Saturday night and Alchimia Pop on Sunday. In 2026, the festival moved to spring and to Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII: the third edition was held on Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31, with the Neapolitan ethno-folk group Sarràcussi on stage performing popular Neapolitan songs. This marks a sign of growth for a young event that, in just a few editions, has already become a staple in the gastronomic calendar of the province of Caserta.

Vitulazio and the Agro Caleno

Vitulazio stands 57 meters above sea level, at the southern foothills of Monte Tutuli and on the right bank of the Volturno River, crossed by the Agnena stream. It is an agricultural area bordering Bellona, Camigliano, Capua, Grazzanise, Pastorano, and Pignataro Maggiore, just a few kilometers from the Roman ruins of Capua and the Royal Palace of Caserta. Here, the cuisine has always been seasonal and local, and a festival like this is the most direct way to experience it: you eat what the town has always known how to make.

Why it is worth visiting

It is not a massive event with thousands of visitors, and that is precisely its value. "A Scella 'e Guanto" is a community celebration where Pro Loco volunteers fry, serve, and share stories; families sit at tables in the square, and folk music does the rest. For those visiting inland Campania, it is an opportunity to taste a pastry rarely found in bakeries and to see a town in the Agro Caleno at its most authentic.