Biscotto and Prosciutto Festival

A festival born from the community

The Biscotto and Prosciutto Festival takes place in Giovi Piegolelle, a hillside hamlet in the Municipality of Salerno, Campania, just a few kilometres from the city centre but already immersed in the greenery of the heights overlooking the gulf. The event began in the late 1980s as a spontaneous effort by the residents: they cooked and served meals to raise the funds needed for parish repairs. What started as a single evening of fundraising has evolved over the years into a structured event, now managed by the Pro Loco Colline di Giovi together with the cultural association I Castellani APS, which continues to donate part of the proceeds to the local school and neighbourhood needs. After a forced three-year break due to the pandemic, the festival has returned with an even larger audience.

The 'biscotto': not a biscuit, but a bread

Visitors from outside the region are often puzzled by the name. In Campania, and particularly in the Salerno hinterland, the biscotto is not a sweet treat: it is a bread subjected to double baking in a wood-fired oven, which makes it dry, crunchy, and fragrant, allowing it to be stored for a long time. It was the bread of farmers and shepherds, the kind they took to the fields and simply moistened to make soft again. In Giovi, the biscotto is still prepared according to the tradition of the Salerno hills and served warm, topped with fresh tomato and prosciutto: the saltiness of the cured meat meets the crunchiness of the bread in a simple, balanced pairing that has become the hamlet's gastronomic symbol.

What to eat

The food stalls offer a menu that goes far beyond the signature dish, highlighting the rustic cuisine of the hills:

• Biscotto with tomato and prosciutto, the house specialty, and caponata in its local Giovi version
• Biscotto with beans and pancetta, a winter dish reinterpreted for summer
• Traditional bean stew
• Paccheri allo scarpariello
• Troccoli Colline di Giovi, a pasta shape created specifically for the festival to capture all the flavours of local peasant tradition
• Sausage sandwiches and chips
• A stand dedicated to desserts and a gluten-free stand for coeliacs

Music, dance, and entertainment

Every evening, the performance area hosts a different event: dances from around the world and folk dances from Southern Italy, with the inevitable live tammurriate, pizziche, and tarantelle, as well as rhythmic gymnastics performances, dance school showcases, 1990s-themed nights, rock and roll concerts, and Italian lounge music. From 2026, the programme will be enriched by the Colline di Giovi singing contest, designed to showcase local talent. The dining area is equipped with numerous tables, allowing you to dine at your leisure before or during the shows.

Why it's worth the trip

The Biscotto and Prosciutto Festival is one of the best examples of an authentic festival in the Province of Salerno: there is no scenery built for tourists, just an entire hamlet cooking, serving at tables, and setting up the stage. You eat well for a few euros, listen to genuine folk music, and breathe the fresh air of the hills, a remarkable relief from the coastal heat on July evenings. It is also an excellent opportunity to discover a part of Salerno that visitors rarely reach, just a handful of minutes by car from the seafront and the historic centre.

A product of identity

The Giovi biscotto has become a small local brand over the years: it is mentioned in Campanian gastronomic guides and cited as an example of a humble product revived thanks to a village festival. The festival has had the merit of transforming a domestic custom into a recognisable element of the identity of the Colline di Giovi, helping to keep the use of the wood-fired oven and family recipes alive.