Asparagus and Virni Festival

A spring celebration in the heart of the Sannio region

The Asparagus and Virni Festival is the event that brings Cerreto Sannita, a town in the province of Benevento, Campania, to life every May at the foot of the Matese massif. Organized by the Pro Loco Cominium in collaboration with the Municipality of Cerreto Sannita, the festival is headquartered in Piazza Luigi Sodo, in the heart of the historic center, which also serves as the starting point for excursions into the plateau's trails.

The 2026 edition, the second of its kind, took place from Friday, May 15th to Sunday, May 17th, confirming the formula that made the event an instant success: food stalls open until midnight, daytime walks and horseback trekking, and free evening concerts featuring local artists. A young festival, yet one already capable of filling the square and introducing visitors to two products that have been harvested here for generations.

Wild asparagus and virni: the stars of the table

The main attractions are wild asparagus, foraged in spring along the dry-stone walls and hedgerows of the Cerreto countryside, and virni, the local dialect name for St. George's mushrooms, which ripen during the same weeks. The pairing of the two, typical of Titerno home cooking, is the common thread running through the food stall menus:

• Tagliatelle with asparagus and virni, the festival's signature dish;
• Asparagus frittata, a classic recipe of the peasant tradition;
• Pizza with local mushrooms, baked and served in the square;
• other traditional products of the Sannio region offered at the food stalls.

Dining is al fresco at tables set up in the square, with a lively village-fair atmosphere: stalls open at 7:00 PM on Friday and from 11:00 AM on Saturday and Sunday, continuing until midnight.

Between the square and the plateau: excursions and guided tours

What sets the Asparagus and Virni Festival apart from purely gastronomic events is its outdoor activity program, designed to immerse visitors in the landscape that produces these flavors. Throughout Saturday and Sunday, the schedule includes horseback trekking organized by La Lente Cavalieri, the Merenda alla Leonessa walk, the Aperitivo at Hannibal's Bridge, and the Merenda at Ancient Cerreto, which reaches the site of the old medieval settlement. The experience is rounded off by guided tours of the historic center and the Civic Museum of Cerreto Ceramics. All activities can be booked by contacting the numbers provided in the program.

Cerreto Sannita: the city of ceramics

Visitors arriving for the festival discover one of the most unique villages in the province of Benevento. The ancient medieval Cerreto was leveled by the earthquake of June 5, 1688, and the town was rebuilt slightly lower down on a regular grid, commissioned by the Carafa counts and designed by Giovanni Battista Manni: a rare example of a newly founded 18th-century city with orthogonal streets, churches, and baroque palaces. The reconstruction also sparked the success of Cerreto ceramics, an art still practiced by local workshops and showcased in the Civic Museum of Ceramics, housed in the 18th-century Palazzo Sant'Antonio. This context makes the visit rewarding well beyond the culinary experience.

Folk music and evening atmosphere

Every evening, the square hosts a free concert featuring bands from the Sannio region and Southern Italy: in 2026, the lineup included Movimento Popolare Sannita, Sudway, and Marshmallow, playing a mix of tarantellas, folk songs, and dance repertoires. The atmosphere is that of a typical Campanian village festival: families, large tables, children running through the square, and visitors arriving from the Telesina Valley and the Caserta area.

When to go and what to expect

The event takes place in the second half of May, when asparagus and virni are at their peak. Admission to the festival and concerts is free: you only pay for what you consume at the stalls. It is a family-friendly event, offering the chance to combine an outdoor excursion, a visit to an 18th-century historic center, and a dinner based on the spontaneous products of the Matese mountains in a single weekend.