Archeofestival
Exploring the peoples, languages, and cultures of Campania, with a grand finale at the Longola Park
About Archeofestival
A traveling festival in the archaeological heart of Campania
Archeofestival is not a one-place event; it is a journey that, from January to July each year, traverses Campania, stop by stop, leading the public into archaeological museums, amphitheaters, Roman villas, necropolises, and nature parks. The subtitle chosen by the organizers — «Comparing the peoples, languages, and cultures of Campania» — perfectly captures the initiative's spirit: creating a dialogue between the Samnites, Etruscans, Osci, Greeks, Sarrasti, and Romans, the many identities that inhabited this region before and after Rome.
The festival is promoted by the Gruppo Archeologico Terramare 3000 OdV, a volunteer association operating in the Vesuvius and Agro Nocerino-Sarnese areas, in collaboration with dozens of local associations, third-sector organizations, museums, and municipal administrations. Scientific direction is entrusted to local scholars and archaeologists, ensuring every appointment balances educational rigor with accessible language.
Longola, the protohistoric village of Poggiomarino
The symbolic heart of Archeofestival is the Longola Archaeological and Naturalistic Park in Poggiomarino, in the metropolitan city of Naples. Here, along the Sarno River, excavations have unearthed a riverside settlement from the Bronze and Iron Ages: a village built on artificial islets connected by canals, inhabited for centuries and considered a direct ancestor of the life that would later develop in the Sarno Valley and Pompeii.
It is a rare site in Italy due to the state of preservation of the wood and its "lagoon" structure, which is why the association chose Longola as the venue for the festival's final evening: the park is both an open-air museum and a natural area where archaeology and the river environment tell their stories together.
A program built on stops, not stages
Each edition consists of about ten appointments distributed across dozens of Campanian municipalities. A typical stop includes:
- free guided tours of museums, antiquariums, and archaeological areas, often in spaces or at times not normally accessible;
- theatrical readings and storytelling set within the site, with actors and narrators giving voice to ancient characters;
- educational workshops designed for schools, families, and children;
- meetings and conferences with archaeologists, professors, and directors of archaeological parks;
- concerts and musical moments to close the day.
The stops usually include Capua, Pozzuoli, Bacoli, Boscoreale, Castellammare di Stabia, Avella, Benevento, Montesarchio, Torre del Greco, Nocera, Sarno, Terzigno, and naturally Poggiomarino and Striano: a network covering the provinces of Naples, Salerno, Caserta, Avellino, and Benevento.
Culture as a guardian of the territory
In recent years, Archeofestival has also taken on a civic value. The Longola park was hit by arson attacks that destroyed wooden structures, information points, educational workshops, and reception areas: the community's response was to confirm and relaunch the festival's final evening, transforming it into a demonstration of heritage defense and a rejection of illegality, with the participation of institutions, the judiciary, archaeological parks, and over fifty local associations.
A free festival open to all
All Archeofestival activities — including tours — are completely free. However, booking is required, as groups are capped to ensure the quality of the guided tours. The festival is designed particularly for schools, but is open to families, archaeology enthusiasts, and curious visitors who want to discover a side of Campania beyond the most beaten tourist paths.
Archeofestival — edition 2026
«Playful spaces, sacred times»: the theme of the 2026 edition
The 4th edition of Archeofestival chose as its guiding thread the relationship between spaces of play and times of the sacred in the ancient cultures of Campania: amphitheaters, sanctuaries, cult areas, and festive places told as a mirror of the communities that built them. The journey, promoted by the Gruppo Archeologico Terramare 3000 OdV, opened on January 18, 2026, in Capua, between the Campanian Amphitheater and the Gladiator Museum, and concluded on July 5 in Poggiomarino.
A final evening that became a symbol
In late June 2026, some arson attacks destroyed the wooden structures of the Longola Park, erasing information points, educational workshops, reception areas, and spaces dedicated to children. The organizers and the Extraordinary Commission of the Municipality of Poggiomarino chose to confirm the appointment anyway, moving it from July 4 to July 5: the evening thus transformed into a collective demonstration of heritage defense, with the participation of the director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii Gabriel Zuchtriegel, prosecutor Nunzio Fragliasso, commissioner Gabriella D'Orso, and over fifty local associations.
Archaeology, theater, and music
Alongside the institutions, the program maintained the festival's typical structure: official opening of the park, theatrical reading on the Iron Age in the Sarno Valley, award ceremony for the contest, extraordinary exhibition of artifacts, and final concert. All stops, as per Archeofestival tradition, were free of charge, including guided tours of museums and archaeological sites.
Programme Archeofestival 2026
The 2026 edition stops
- January 18 — Capua: Campanian Amphitheater and Gladiator Museum
- February 1 — Succivo and Sant'Arpino: Archaeological Museum of the Atellano Agro
- February 14 — Atripalda and Mirabella Eclano: archaeological parks of Abellinum and Aeclanum
- March 1 — Fratte and Pontecagnano: National Archaeological Museum of the Frontier Etruscans
- March 8 — Bacoli: Villa Ferretti
- March 21 — Boscoreale: Antiquarium
- April 11 — Pagani and Nocera
- May 3 — Benevento
- May 24 — Avella: MIA Archaeological Museum
- May 30 — Castellammare di Stabia: Villa San Marco
- June 7 — Montesarchio and Guardia Sanframondi
- June 14 — Torre del Greco
- June 21 — Pozzuoli: Baia Castle and Flavian Amphitheater
- July 5 — Poggiomarino: Longola Archaeological and Naturalistic Park (closing event)
Sunday, July 5, 2026 — Longola Park, Poggiomarino (from 6 PM)
- Official opening of the park and institutional speeches
- Theatrical reading «The Iron Age in the Sarno Valley»
- Archeofestival Contest award ceremony
- Extraordinary exhibition of artifacts found at the Longola site, with the Archaeological Park of Pompeii
- «A sentence for Longola» initiative: collection and display of messages from artists, journalists, scholars, and citizens in support of the site
- Final concert by Vincenzo Romano
Highlights Archeofestival 2026
- Fourteen stops throughout Campania and eighteen municipalities involved, from Capua to Pozzuoli, from Benevento to Castellammare di Stabia.
- The reopening of Longola Park after the arson attacks of late June 2026, with over fifty associations present.
- The extraordinary exhibition of Bronze Age artifacts found in the excavations of the riverside village.
- The theatrical reading dedicated to the Iron Age in the Sarno Valley.
- The final concert by Vincenzo Romano and the Archeofestival Contest award ceremony.
- Free guided tours of museums and archaeological sites at all stops.
Prices Archeofestival 2026
Practical information — Archeofestival
Where it takes place
The closing evening is held at the Longola Archaeological and Naturalistic Park in Poggiomarino (NA), Campania. Other stops take place in museums and archaeological sites throughout the region: the updated calendar is published on www.archeofestival.it.
How to reach Poggiomarino
- By train: Poggiomarino station on the Circumvesuviana (EAV) Naples-Poggiomarino line, or the FS Poggiomarino-Striano station on the Naples-Salerno line via Sarno.
- By car: A3 Naples-Salerno motorway, exit Scafati-Angri or Pompei Ovest, then follow signs for Poggiomarino; alternatively, A30, exit Palma Campania.
- By plane: Naples-Capodichino Airport, about 35 km away.
Prices and bookings
Admission and activities are free, including guided tours. Booking is mandatory via the official website www.archeofestival.it or by contacting the Gruppo Archeologico Terramare 3000 (tel. +39 329 9756435, [email protected]).
Useful tips
- The Longola park is a natural area: comfortable shoes are recommended, and in summer, sunscreen and water.
- Many stops are in the afternoon or evening: always check the meeting time indicated at the time of booking.
- For accommodation in the area, the most convenient choices are Pompeii or Castellammare di Stabia, both a few kilometers away and well-connected.
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Where does it take place — Archeofestival
Parco Archeologico Naturalistico di Longola