Bagnara Wild Asparagus Festival
The Sannio wild asparagus and the 'Motors and Flavors' gathering in the village of Bagnara
About Wild Asparagus Festival
A village festival in the heart of Sannio
Bagnara is the southernmost hamlet of the municipality of Sant'Angelo a Cupolo, in the province of Benevento, right on the border with the province of Avellino. It is a village of just a few houses overlooking the hills of inland Campania, where the countryside is not a postcard, but a place of daily labor. Here, in the second half of May, the Wild Asparagus Festival takes place, reaching its twenty-eighth edition in 2026. It is a grassroots celebration: the Associazione Agorà coordinates the organization, but the entire community heads to the slopes to gather the asparagus, which is then prepared in the kitchen following traditional home recipes.
Wild asparagus, the star of the Sannio spring
The true star is the wild asparagus, which sprouts spontaneously in spring along hedges, woodland edges, and old mule tracks on the Sannio hills. With a thin stem, tight tip, and a bitter, intense flavor far superior to cultivated varieties, it is treated in home kitchens with simple preparations that highlight its natural taste. During the festival, the food stalls in Bagnara offer it in various local recipes, served on Saturday evening and Sunday for lunch. There is no restaurant menu; there is only what the woods have provided in those days.
Motors and Flavors: vintage cars and motorcycles among the houses
Since 2025, the festival has also hosted Motors and Flavors, a motor rally organized by the Ducati Official Club Motomaniaci in collaboration with the Associazione Agorà. The concept is simple and effective: combining a passion for historic vehicles with the table of a village festival. The day includes the arrival and parking of vehicles, a welcome breakfast, a static display, the blessing of the vehicles, a driving simulator, musical entertainment, an exhibition of car hi-fi audio systems and tuned cars, and a scenic tour with an aperitif stop before the communal lunch.
Clubs and exhibitors involved in the 2026 edition included the Club Lancia Delta Integrale, the Vespa Club, the Fiat 500 Club, SG Motors (Piaggio, Aprilia, Benelli), the Kartodromo Iscaro, and AF Racing. Motorcycles, cars, vintage vehicles, modified cars, and audio systems are all welcome.
The Women's Path and the morning walk
On Sunday morning, starting at 9:00 AM, a walk along historic paths takes place, organized by the Camminando Camminando group of Bagnara. The main route is the Women's Path, the old trail that climbs from Bagnara toward Chianche through the Gnazio woods. Abandoned for over fifty years, it was cleared and restored by the group's volunteers and is dedicated to the women who once walked it every day. Walking it before lunch is the best way to understand where the asparagus on your plate comes from.
An association that keeps the village alive
The Associazione Agorà of Bagnara does not limit itself to the May festival: its calendar also includes the Porcini Mushroom Festival, the Health Walk, and the Ecological Day. This is the type of volunteering that, in many small towns in the province of Benevento, acts as a true cultural infrastructure: without these associations, many gastronomic traditions of Sannio would no longer have a public occasion to be shared.
Why it's worth visiting
The Wild Asparagus Festival is not a massive event for thousands of people; it is a village feast, with tables set near the houses and traffic closed for the occasion by municipal ordinance. Those looking for the authentic atmosphere of Campanian festivals, far from tourist circuits, will find exactly that: a wild product you cannot buy in a supermarket, village-style prices, and the chance to chat with those who cooked your meal. Benevento, with its Arch of Trajan and the Santa Sofia complex, is just a few kilometers away, making it easy to round out the day.
Wild Asparagus Festival — edition 2026
28th edition: May 23 and 24, 2026
The 2026 edition of the Wild Asparagus Festival of Bagnara, a hamlet of Sant'Angelo a Cupolo (Benevento), was held on Saturday, May 23, and Sunday, May 24, organized as always by the Associazione Agorà. The rhythm was the usual one: Saturday evening dedicated to food stalls featuring wild asparagus, with vehicular traffic suspended in the village center by municipal ordinance, and Sunday entirely dedicated to the community, from the morning walk to the midday lunch.
The confirmed novelty was the 2nd 'Motors and Flavors' Festival, an official event of the Ducati Official Club Motomaniaci carried out in collaboration with the Associazione Agorà: static display of motorcycles and cars, blessing of the vehicles, driving simulator, musical entertainment, car hi-fi audio area and car tuning, and a scenic tour with an aperitif stop. The gathering was attended by the Club Lancia Delta Integrale, the Vespa Club, the Fiat 500 Club, SG Motors (Piaggio, Aprilia, Benelli), the Kartodromo Iscaro, and AF Racing.
The weekend was also highlighted by the local Sannio press among the main events in the Benevento area, along with the walk on the Women's Path organized by the Camminando Camminando group.
Programme Wild Asparagus Festival 2026
Saturday, May 23, 2026
- Evening: opening of food stalls featuring wild asparagus in the center of Bagnara (vehicular traffic suspended, municipal ordinance no. 13/26)
Sunday, May 24, 2026
- 9:00 AM — 'Walk along historic paths' with the Camminando Camminando group (Women's Path, Bagnara-Chianche)
- 9:30 AM — 2nd 'Motors and Flavors' Festival: arrival and parking of vehicles
- 10:00 AM — Welcome breakfast, meal reservations, and static display of motorcycles and cars
- 11:00 AM — Scenic tour with aperitif stop
- 12:30 PM — Return to Bagnara and resumption of static display
- 1:00 PM — Festival lunch, by reservation
Throughout the weekend: display of motorcycles and cars, blessing of vehicles, driving simulator, musical entertainment, car hi-fi audio display, and car tuning. Clubs and exhibitors present: Club Lancia Delta Integrale, Vespa Club, Fiat 500 Club, SG Motors (Piaggio-Aprilia-Benelli), Kartodromo Iscaro, AF Racing.
Highlights Wild Asparagus Festival 2026
- Food stalls with local recipes based on hand-picked wild asparagus
- 2nd 'Motors and Flavors' Festival with motorcycles, vintage cars, modified cars, and car hi-fi audio
- Blessing of vehicles and driving simulator
- Scenic tour with aperitif stop
- Morning walk on the Women's Path, from Bagnara toward Chianche through the Gnazio woods
- Communal Sunday lunch by reservation
Prices Wild Asparagus Festival 2026
Practical information — Wild Asparagus Festival
How to get there
Bagnara is a hamlet of Sant'Angelo a Cupolo (BN), a few kilometers from the center of Benevento. By car: from Benevento, follow signs for Sant'Angelo a Cupolo and Ceppaloni, then take the marked turnoff for Bagnara along the road to Barba. By train, the reference station is Benevento Centrale, connected to Naples, Caserta, and Foggia; from Benevento, the village is served by the Air Campania extra-urban bus line BN-10 in the direction of Borgo Barba.
Traffic during the festival
During the festival days, the Municipality of Sant'Angelo a Cupolo suspends vehicular traffic in the center of Bagnara. For the 2026 edition, ordinance no. 13/26 resulted in the diversion of the Air Campania BN-10 bus at 7:00 PM on May 23rd, which did not serve Bagnara, continuing instead toward Ceppaloni-Barba. It is advisable to check the transport company's notices before departing.
Costs
Admission to the festival is free; you only pay for what you consume at the food stalls. The Sunday lunch linked to 'Motors and Flavors' is by reservation: 15 euros in 2026 (appetizer, first course, and second course), 13 euros in 2025.
Practical tips
Wear trekking shoes if you participate in the morning walk, which takes place on a hilly path. Lunch must be booked the same morning at the welcome desk. For overnight stays, the most convenient options are the hotels and bed and breakfasts in Benevento and the valley towns. The poster and updates are published on the Associazione Agorà - Bagnara Facebook page.
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Where does it take place — Wild Asparagus Festival
Frazione Bagnara