Ancient Sounds Festival

Four nights in the home of the 'bottari'

The Ancient Sounds Festival is the big end-of-summer celebration in Macerata Campania, a town in the province of Caserta, Campania, known throughout Southern Italy as the home of the bottari and the battuglie di pastellessa. For four consecutive nights, usually in the latter part of September, the large Piazza Francesco II di Borbone — the town's market square — transforms into an open-air stage where Southern folk music meets the ancient rhythm of beaten barrels, vats, and scythes.

The 'pastellessa' tradition

In Macerata Campania, the sound doesn't come from instruments built for music, but from farming tools: barrels, vats, and scythes beaten at a fast pace by the arms of the 'bottari'. This is the so-called pastellessa, a centuries-old tradition linked to the feast of Sant'Antuono, which fills the town streets every January with a parade of floats and 'battuglie'. The Ancient Sounds Festival was created specifically to bring this heritage out of the winter calendar and have it engage, in a contemporary way, with Neapolitan song, 'taranta', and the folk music of Southern Italy.

A program of folk, guests, and DJ sets

Each edition is built around a recognizable structure: the opening is entrusted to local tradition, with a performance by the 'capicarro' (float leaders) of the 'battuglie' from the Macerata Campania Float Association; the central nights are dedicated to guests from the folk and popular scene of Southern Italy; the grand finale features the Suoni Antichi - i bottari di Macerata Campania ensemble, which over the years has brought the rhythm of 'pastellessa' to stages across Italy. In past editions, the festival has hosted names like Enzo Gragnaniello and Antonio Castrignanò, as well as the spectacular Temple of the Bottari, with over one hundred percussionists gathered together on the same stage. Every night, DJ sets close the evening, keeping the party going until late.

Music and social inclusion

The festival is organized by the Ancient Sounds Social Promotion Association, with the patronage of the Municipality of Macerata Campania, and goes beyond mere entertainment. For several editions, one evening has been dedicated to inclusion, thanks to a collaboration with the Icaro social cooperative consortium and the Aria Nuova cooperative of Galluccio: together, they carry out music therapy projects aimed at people with mental health challenges, with the goal of improving attention and social skills. Participants from these workshops take the stage alongside the artists in one of the most heartfelt moments of the event.

Street food, crafts, and village atmosphere

The Ancient Sounds Festival is not just a concert lineup: the market area fills with food trucks and street and slow food stalls dedicated to the specialties of the Caserta and Campania tradition, which open in the late afternoon, while the shows begin in the evening. Around the stage, there is space for street performers, craft stalls, and play areas for children, making the square a place for all ages, where local families mingle with visitors from neighboring towns.

Why it's worth visiting

Those who come to Macerata Campania for the festival don't just attend a concert: they come into contact with a musical tradition unique in Italy, born from field work and survived for centuries as the collective identity of an entire town. Hearing dozens of barrels beaten simultaneously in a crowded square is a physical experience even before it is a musical one, and it explains better than any story why Macerata Campania is considered the capital of the 'bottari'.

A free, open-air event

As per tradition, the festival takes place outdoors with free admission: you only pay for what you consume at the food stalls. It is the easiest way to discover one of the most authentic expressions of Campanian folklore, just a few kilometers from Caserta and its Royal Palace.