Azzurro Pozzuoli

The blue fish festival of the Phlegraean Fields

Azzurro Pozzuoli is the food and wine event that the Municipality of Pozzuoli, in the province of Naples, dedicates to blue fish and the entire local fishing supply chain. Anchovies, mackerel, sardines, dolphinfish, and bonito—the humblest yet richest catch of the Gulf of Pozzuoli—become the absolute stars for a few days, featuring cooking shows, tastings, conferences, and workshops. The underlying idea is both simple and ambitious: to restore value to a resource that has fed generations of Pozzuoli families and which today represents one of the most authentic symbols of Mediterranean cuisine.

From the first edition at the «Palazzo del Mare»

The festival was born in December 2023, when the «Palazzo del Mare» wholesale fish market hosted the first edition: days packed with events including cooking shows, seafood aperitifs, workshops, B2B and B2C markets, conferences, and guided tastings. The formula proved a winner right from the start, bringing fishermen, restaurateurs, Phlegraean Fields wine producers, chefs, and the public to the same table. The second edition, in December 2024, concluded with an «Aperifish» that drew nearly two thousand people to the Palazzo del Mare and the awarding of the «Azzurro Pozzuoli» and «Azzurrina» prizes to the best blue fish dishes prepared by the city's restaurants.

The leap to summer and the historic center

Since 2025, the event has evolved. In August, as part of the «Pozzuoli inn… Fest» program, the Darsena hosted a highly popular preview, with cones of fried anchovies and blue fish dishes served just steps from the fishing boats. At the end of September, the festival proper moved to Piazza della Repubblica, in the heart of the city: the living room overlooking the port transformed into a grand stage for gastronomy, with two completely sold-out evenings.

Cooking shows, masterclasses, and Phlegraean wines

The program revolves around three ingredients that return with every edition:

• Live cooking shows with Campanian chefs, including Michelin-starred ones, who reinterpret the Gulf's so-called "poor" fish in a contemporary way;
• Tasting masterclasses led by A.I.S. Campania sommeliers, dedicated to the grape varieties of the Phlegraean Fields, from Falanghina to Piedirosso;
• Tastings from Pozzuoli restaurants, offering sea-inspired dishes at stations set up along the square.

Completing the picture is folk music—tammurriate and street bands—along with more technical sessions, such as conferences on sustainable fishing and product seasonality aimed at industry professionals.

A territory telling its story

Pozzuoli is no ordinary backdrop. The city has always lived in balance between the sea and the volcanic earth of the Phlegraean Fields: on one side, the fishing fleet and the fish market; on the other, the vineyards growing on volcanic sands that yield saline, mineral wines. Azzurro Pozzuoli brings these two worlds together and offers them to visitors in an accessible format, allowing one to taste in a single evening what the territory produces throughout the year. For those arriving from out of town, it is also an opportunity to discover the Rione Terra, the Flavian Amphitheater, the Solfatara, and the seafront, in one of the most archaeologically and naturally dense areas of Campania.

Why it's worth visiting

This is a festival that goes beyond just lining up a few stalls: the educational aspect, the restaurant awards, and the direct involvement of fishermen give the event a credibility you can taste on the plate. The free-entry cooking shows make it suitable for casual passersby, while the limited-capacity masterclasses satisfy enthusiasts looking for a deeper dive. In a region where seafood festivals are plentiful, Azzurro Pozzuoli stands out for its choice to tell the story of an entire supply chain, from boat to table.