Bracigliano Soppressata Festival

A festival dedicated to the signature salami of Bracigliano

The Bracigliano Soppressata Festival is a culinary event that draws families, returning emigrants, and visitors from neighboring towns every summer. It takes place in Bracigliano, a small town in the province of Salerno, Campania, specifically in the Casale district—a hilly area that hosts the food stands and dance floors. It is organized by the Associazione Amici Braciglianesi, which involves much of the local community in the preparations; it is a grassroots festival, with local volunteers manning the kitchens and cash registers.

Bracigliano soppressata, a hill-country salami

The star product is the soppressata, an artisanal salami made from 100% local pork, raised on a healthy diet to ensure the quality of the final product. The processing follows traditional methods: natural curing for about forty days and smoking with wood, resulting in a salami that is roughly 8-10 cm in diameter and 15-18 cm long. Its bold flavor, the quality of the selected cuts, and its long shelf life are the characteristics that the Bracigliano community takes pride in. At the festival, it is served in various ways, accompanied by homemade bread, local cheeses, and local wine.

Bracigliano sits at an altitude of about 350 meters, on the edge of the Agro Nocerino-Sarnese area and near the hills that separate the Salerno region from the hinterland—a hilly location that has historically favored family-run pig farming and home butchery, from which this festival directly descends.

What to eat at the stands

The festival menu, which remains consistent from year to year, is a compendium of local peasant cuisine. Recurring dishes include:

• Piatto del casale, a platter of assorted local cured meats
• Pasta e fasul c'a cotena o lardiciello, pasta and beans with pork rinds or lard
• Penne with porcini mushrooms foraged from local woods
• Goat chops slow-cooked in ragù
• Wild boar stew
• Grilled sausages and sandwiches with fries
• Porchetta (roast pork)
• Mallone, a traditional humble dish of greens and potatoes
• Homemade desserts, including zeppole and pizzelle

Portions are generous and prices remain typical of village festivals: you pay for what you consume while sitting at outdoor communal tables.

The evenings: dance music and community spirit

Every night after dinner, the festival area turns into a dance floor. Previous editions have featured dance music, ballroom dancing, and Latin American rhythms, with bands and orchestras keeping the square lively until late at night. The atmosphere is that of a classic Campanian summer festival: long tables, children running between the stands, and different generations coming together. For many Bracigliano natives living elsewhere, the August festival is their annual opportunity to return home.

When it takes place

The event is traditionally held in August and lasts for several consecutive evenings, usually four or five. Dates have shifted within the month over the years: the 2025 edition took place from August 3rd to 6th, while in the past, the festival has also coincided with the Ferragosto week. Official dates for the 2026 edition have not yet been released by the organizing association; it is best to follow the festival's Facebook page and the Bracigliano municipal channels for the announcement, which usually arrives shortly before summer.

Bracigliano beyond the festival

Bracigliano's summer calendar doesn't end with the soppressata: the town is also known for its cherry festival, a historic local product, and for other gastronomic events linked to traditional humble dishes, such as the mascuotto and mallone festivals. Visitors from out of town can combine their visit with a walk through the historic center and the hilly districts, or a stop in the nearby towns of the Agro Nocerino-Sarnese and the Irno Valley.