AnticaMente

A village stepping back in time

AnticaMente is the summer festival of Arpaia, a town of just under two thousand inhabitants overlooking the Caudine Valley in the province of Benevento, Campania. For three days, the town's thousand-year-old historic center, known as the Lombard Citadel, is returned to residents and visitors in its former glory: decorated alleys, reopened workshops, and daily life from the past brought back to the stage. The core idea, as stated by the organizers, is to restore the atmosphere and splendor of the 1950s, when the Court and the streets around the walls were the beating heart of village life.

Born from the Vanvitellian Celebrations

The event is organized by the Officina Sociale Pro Arpaia APS association and was born as part of the MaratonArt project, linked to the Vanvitellian Celebrations promoted by the Royal Palace of Caserta for the 250th anniversary of the death of architect Luigi Vanvitelli. This is no mere academic detail: the history of the Carolino Aqueduct—the Vanvitellian masterpiece that fed the fountains of the Royal Palace—runs through Arpaia and its local springs. Indeed, the first editions dedicated exhibitions and visual paths specifically to water, local springs, and the village's Lombard heritage.

The Lombard Citadel, a natural stage

The stage for AnticaMente is not a platform, but the very fabric of the town. Significant sections of the medieval Lombard-era walls remain in Arpaia: the southern side along Via Sannitica, a portion to the east towards Via della Corte, and another section to the west towards Via delle Grazie. Once, the perimeter formed a trapezoid with equidistant towers, a moat, and a single entrance protected by a fortified tower; the local dialect expression "fuori il ponte" (outside the bridge), still used by the people of Arpaia, recalls the existence of that bridge and moat. Walking among these stones during the festival is, in itself, one of the most powerful experiences of the event.

What to see and do

The program is intentionally spread out: events are distributed across multiple public spaces in the historic center, allowing visitors to move freely from one corner of the village to another. The recurring ingredients every year include:

• Homemade pasta workshops, guided by the expert hands of the local women;
• Creative workshops for children and re-enactments of ancient games, the kind played in the streets before the age of screens;
• the «A'sciuriata», the traditional Arpaia serenade, one of the most anticipated moments of identity;
• exhibitions and visual paths dedicated to local history, springs, and Lombard heritage;
• guided tours of the monuments of the village, including the walls;
• stalls featuring local crafts and ancient trades;
• traditional cuisine with dishes from the Caudine tradition;
• evening concerts to close each day.

A festival that speaks of inclusion

Over the years, AnticaMente has added a second soul to its celebration of memory: moments designed for inclusion and integration, involving different communities and associations. This is what distinguishes the event from a simple nostalgic re-enactment: tradition here is used as a common language, not as a barrier.

Arpaia and the Caudine Valley

Arpaia stands at an altitude of 283 meters, about thirty kilometers from Naples and a short distance from Airola, Paolisi, and Forchia. Local tradition identifies it with the ancient Furculae and the seat of the diocese of Caudium, placing it in the landscape of the famous Caudine Forks. The town venerates the Madonna delle Grazie and Saint Michael the Archangel. Those arriving for AnticaMente have the opportunity to combine the festival with a day of discovery in the Caudine Valley, a borderland between the Sannio area of Benevento and the Neapolitan region, with its rustic cuisine and walled villages.

Why it's worth the trip

AnticaMente is not a massive festival: it is a well-crafted village feast, where the hospitality is still that of neighbors and where everything, from exhibitions to concerts, is free to enter. For those seeking the Italy of authentic villages, without filters and without tickets, the historic center of Arpaia in early July is one of the most sincere destinations in the province of Benevento.