Baccalà Festival - Emigrant's Feast

A festival in the heart of Alta Irpinia

During the first ten days of August, Piazza Francesco De Sanctis, the open-air living room of Morra De Sanctis, transforms into the town's communal dining table: it is the Baccalà Festival - Emigrant's Feast, organized by the Pro Loco Morra De Sanctis together with the Morrese Youth Forum and under the patronage of the Municipality of Morra De Sanctis. We are in the province of Avellino, in Campania, at an altitude of over 850 meters and about sixty kilometers from the regional capital, where August evenings remain cool and the square stays lively until late. The event takes place in the evening: in recent editions, tastings have started around 8:30 PM.

Baccalà alla ualanegna, a signature dish

The dish that gives the festival its name is baccalà alla ualanegna, a humble yet flavorful preparation that tells the story of the Irpinian hinterland better than any guidebook. In a mountain village far from the sea, salt-preserved cod was for centuries the only fish available alongside salted anchovies: this gave rise to a recipe that the village women would take to the fields for the gualano, the man who followed the plow, from which the dish takes its name.

• With fried bitter peppers and garlic: the most traditional, dry, and bold version.
• With potatoes: the softer, home-style variation, typical of family gatherings.

Surrounding the baccalà, the Pro Loco stands offer typical local products in an evening that combines tasting, music, and entertainment in the square.

The Emigrant's Feast

The second title of the event, Emigrant's Feast, is not just a detail: Morra De Sanctis has just over 1,100 inhabitants and, like many villages in Alta Irpinia, has experienced a century of emigration, first towards America and later towards Northern Italy and Europe. August is the month when the locals return, and the festival becomes a collective opportunity to reunite: those who left recognize the flavors of home, while those who stayed share stories of the past year. It is a community celebration even before it is a gastronomic one.

How the evening unfolds

The format is the tried-and-tested one of Irpinian festivals: the square is set up with tables and stands, service starts in the evening, followed by live music or entertainment. In past editions, the tasting was accompanied by concerts in the square—in 2023, for example, the group DissonAnthika performed with a modern folk-rock repertoire. The detailed program is released by the Pro Loco and the Youth Forum a few days before the event on local channels and the association's Facebook page.

The village of Francesco De Sanctis

The square hosting the festival bears the name of the town's most illustrious citizen: Francesco De Sanctis (1817-1883), literary critic, patriot, and Minister of Public Education of the Kingdom of Italy, who dedicated memorable pages of his writings to Morra. Those who arrive a few hours early can visit the Biondi-Morra Castle, of Lombard origin and home to an archaeological antiquarium, the Spire of San Rocco completed in 1852 (over sixteen meters high, with the saint's statue on top), and the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, whose origins date back at least to the 11th century.

A summer of events

The Baccalà Festival effectively opens the heart of the Morrese summer, which continues with the patronal feast of San Rocco on August 23rd and cultural initiatives related to the figure of De Sanctis. In autumn and winter, the Pro Loco calendar continues with countryside excursions, the Immaculate Conception bonfires on December 8th, and Christmas markets. For those visiting Irpinia, the festival is the most direct way to connect with a mountain cuisine that cannot be found in the restaurants of the Campanian coast.