A Vico per Cacio

Three evenings dedicated to the art of cheesemaking

A Vico per Cacio is the food and wine festival celebrating the dairy heritage of Vico Equense, a town on the Sorrento Peninsula in the province of Naples, Campania. For three nights, the historic center transforms into an open-air village of taste: local dairies bring their stalls to the streets, demonstrating a craft passed down through generations, from stretching the curd to the aging process.

The event was born from the desire of local producers to share their story directly, without intermediaries, and to connect their cheese to the landscape that creates it: the pastures of the Monti Lattari, the milk from hillside farms, and the ancient processing techniques that have never been lost here.

The dairy village between Via Roma and Corso Umberto I

The heart of the event is the pedestrian route along Via Roma and Corso Umberto I, set up with producers' stalls and narrow alleys transformed into a charming dairy village. Fourteen local dairies have formed the association that organizes the event: Salvatore Albano, Bel Faito, Carbone, Cilatte, Cilento, Coppola, De Gennaro, Alfredo Guida, Salvatore Guida, La Verde Fattoria, Russo, Savarese, F.lli Staiano, and Starace.

At their stalls, you can find the products that make up the dairy alphabet of the coast:

• fiordilatte, hand-stretched and still warm
• fresh and smoked provola
• ricotta and artisanal butter
• caciotta and various aged cheeses
• innovative products, still rooted in traditional processing methods

Tastings, showcooking, and traditional games

Visiting the stalls is free, and guests can watch live cooking demonstrations where chefs reinterpret local dairy products in dishes created for the occasion. Those who want a structured tasting experience can purchase a tasting ticket on-site, which in the 2025 edition included five samples and a drink.

Beyond taste, there is tradition: the program features traditional local games inspired by the Palio di San Renato, open to both adults and children, as well as educational workshops for kids, explaining where milk comes from and how cheese is made. It is a format that makes the event perfect for families and food enthusiasts alike.

A recognized heritage

The cheesemaking tradition of Vico Equense has earned the De.Co. (Municipal Designation) recognition, which protects and promotes the area's identity-defining products. After all, we are in the area of origin of the Provolone del Monaco DOP, one of the most famous cheeses in Campania, and in a town that has spent years building its tourism image around food, from pizza by the meter to neighborhood festivals.

The 2026 edition

In 2026, A Vico per Cacio took place from July 1st to 3rd in the historic center, as part of the Vico d'Estate 2026 program, the municipal calendar that hosts concerts, festivals, excursions, and gastronomic events across the city's districts from late May to mid-September. The official program presented it as an event dedicated to showcasing dairy products and ancient processing techniques, featuring educational workshops for children.

A community-building event

The success is now well-established: the 2025 edition, the third, exceeded 15,000 visitors over three nights. "Our goal was not just to show dairy excellence, but to tell the story of the passion behind every product," explained Alessandro Di Martino, president of the A Vico per Cacio association. Mayor Giuseppe Aiello emphasized that the event is "a declaration of love for our history" in a city that confirms itself as the capital of taste on the Sorrento Peninsula.

Why it's worth the trip

Those arriving in Vico Equense during these evenings will find a traffic-free historic center overlooking the Gulf of Naples, filled with the scent of freshly processed milk. It is a rare opportunity to meet the producers one-on-one, understand the differences between a fresh fiordilatte and a smoked provola, and combine the visit with a walk to the Church of the Santissima Annunziata, perched above the sea.