"Antonio Di Troia" Theater Festival

A festival that closes the Irpinian summer

As the days grow shorter and the September evenings invite you to head indoors, the lights go up at the Alfredo Sardone Municipal Theater in Altavilla Irpina. This is where the "Antonio Di Troia" Theater Festival takes place, a long-awaited event in the cultural calendar of this municipality in the province of Avellino, in the heart of inland Campania. The formula is simple and well-tested: a series of shows spread between late August and early October, almost always on weekends, with a different company hosted each evening.

Organizers

The festival is promoted by the Achille Fardini Theater Company, an amateur group rooted in the town, with the patronage of the Municipality of Altavilla Irpina and the collaboration of the Pro Loco. It is a collective effort, typical of small Irpinian towns, where the organization of a theater season stems from the voluntary commitment of actors, technicians, and members who handle everything from script selection to welcoming the audience.

A tribute to Antonio Di Troia

The event bears the name of Antonio Di Troia, a key figure in local theater to whom the Altavilla community wished to dedicate its festival. Naming the program after someone who fostered a passion for theater in the town is a gesture that speaks volumes about the event's character: not just a showcase, but a way to keep a shared memory alive and pass it on to those who take the stage today.

The Alfredo Sardone Theater

Performances are held at the Alfredo Sardone Municipal Theater, in Piazza Santa Barbara. The hall, which seats about 180 people, has been named since 2006 after the local pharmacist and playwright Alfredo Sardone. The town's theatrical tradition, however, is much older: a local philodramatic society was already active in the late 19th century, and activity resumed vigorously after the Second World War. The current structure, converted from a municipal building into a multi-purpose center, is now the town's main cultural space and also hosts the winter theater season.

What to expect on stage

The program favors brilliant comedy and popular theater, with forays into comedy and some more literary titles. The guest companies arrive from various Italian regions—Campania, Puglia, Lazio—and bring diverse repertoires to Altavilla Irpina, often in dialect or in Italian tinged with local inflections. It is amateur theater in the truest sense of the word: done for passion, but with care for the craft, comedic timing, and stage presence.

• Brilliant comedies in two or three acts
• Comedic and popular theater shows
• Reinterpretations of classics and authorial texts
• Guest companies from Campania, Puglia, and Lazio

An audience from the town and the district

The festival is designed for everyone: the affordable ticket price and the subscription formula make it an opportunity accessible to families, and over the years it has built a loyal audience that also comes from the nearby towns of the Valle del Sabato and the Avellino area. The evening start time, generally at 7:00 PM, allows you to attend the show and return home early, which is no small feat for those coming from out of town.

Altavilla Irpina and its territory

Altavilla Irpina rises on three hills—Torone, Foresta, and Ripe—along the ancient route that connected Irpinia to Sannio. The historic center preserves its medieval layout, made of alleys, palaces, and churches, and is dominated by the Sanctuary of San Pellegrino Martire, a destination for a pilgrimage deeply felt throughout the province. Vineyards and hazelnut groves extend around the town: we are in the land of the great DOCG white wines of Irpinia, Greco di Tufo and Fiano di Avellino, which are produced just a few kilometers away. An evening at the theater can therefore easily become an opportunity for a food and wine stop in one of the many local establishments.

Why it is worth it

In an Italy where provincial theaters struggle, the "Antonio Di Troia" Festival tells a different story: a small municipality in inland Campania that, thanks to a local company and an active Pro Loco, manages to put on seven nights of real theater every year, with the audience filling the hall and companies returning willingly. It is not an international festival, and that is precisely its value: it is theater as it was and still is done in small towns, where those who act and those who watch know each other by name.