Broccolo Aprilatico Festival

Two days for the green gold of Irpinia

The Broccolo Aprilatico Festival is the event that transforms Paternopoli, a small town in the province of Avellino in Campania, into the capital of a vegetable found nowhere else. It takes place in Piazzetta Scala Santa, in the heart of the historic center, and packs everything revolving around the broccoli into two evenings: food stalls, taste workshops, tastings of local products, and live music.

The Broccolo Aprilatico, a Slow Food Presidium

The Broccolo Aprilatico is a rare vegetable, recognized as a Slow Food Presidium, which owes its name to the month of April, when it reaches ideal maturity. It has an intense green color, a sweet taste with a bitter edge, and a texture that remains crunchy even after cooking: a characteristic that distinguishes it from other brassicas and explains why it has remained tied to this corner of Irpinia. The festival was created precisely to defend this agricultural biodiversity and to raise awareness of the work of those who continue to grow it on small plots.

Traditional peasant recipes

At the stalls, the broccoli is served according to home-style preparations, handed down from generation to generation. Local sources particularly highlight some classic pairings:

• broccoli with sardines, garlic, and lemon, one of the most cited combinations in Paternopoli cuisine;
• homemade pasta seasoned with the vegetable;
• pork dishes accompanied by broccoli, according to the Irpinian peasant tradition.

Alongside the dishes, one can find other local products in a showcase that is both a village festival and a small window into local agri-food.

Taste workshops and evenings in the square

The program is not limited to the table. The taste workshops bring together producers, chefs, and visitors to discuss how the Broccolo Aprilatico is grown, cleaned, and cooked, with guided tastings of typical local products. After dinner, the square comes alive with live music: folk bands and dance orchestras accompany the audience until late at night, in an atmosphere that feels more like a village celebration than an event built for tourists.

Paternopoli, between vineyards and hills

Paternopoli is located in the upper Calore valley, in an area of Irpinia where viticulture and horticulture have coexisted for centuries. It is a territory of small villages, short distances, and niche productions, where festivals remain the most direct way to get in touch with the real cuisine of families. Those who arrive for the festival thus find an easy opportunity to also explore the neighboring towns and the local wineries, in one of the Italian provinces most tied to wine.

An event organized by the town

The event is promoted by the Paternopoli Carnival Association, the same organization that manages the local carnival, with the support of the Municipality of Paternopoli. It is no coincidence that in 2026 the first evening also hosted the awards ceremony for the Carnival: the broccoli festival serves as a closing moment for the season of village initiatives and as the opening of the Irpinian spring.