Caggiano Village Culinary Trail

The ancient village transforms into a trail of flavors

For over thirty years, the Village Culinary Trail has been the most anticipated summer event in Caggiano, a small town in the province of Salerno, Campania, nestled at an altitude of 828 meters on the heights overlooking the Tanagro Valley. For a few evenings in August, the alleys, courtyards, and small squares of the historic center fill with tables, lights, and aromas: here, you don't sit in one place, but walk from stall to stall, tasting one course at a time along a route that crosses the entire village. It is from this simple yet original formula that the event takes its name, subtitled Land of Flavors, Traditions, History, Passions, Culture, and Nature.

The five courses of Caggiano tradition

The menu has remained substantially the same over the years and is prepared by the volunteers of the Pro Loco Caggiano according to recipes passed down through families. The trail is divided into five gastronomic stages:

• Caggiano-style appetizer, with local cured meats, cheeses, and preserves;
• Lagane and chickpeas, the hand-rolled fresh pasta that is the signature dish of the peasant cuisine of the Salerno hinterland;
• Caggiano-style pasticcio, the most iconic savory pie of the town, recognized among the local traditional products;
• Grilled roast, with meats and sausages cooked outdoors;
• Traditional desserts from Caggiano's home-style pastry tradition.

At each stage, the dish is accompanied by local wine, and in some editions, visitors have been invited to vote for the best stall, in a small town competition that fuels local pride.

Not just food: art, workshops, and music

The Culinary Trail is not just a simple food festival. Over the years, the Pro Loco has structured the evenings into themed days—Art Day, Taste Day, Culture Day, and Music Day—with art workshops, book presentations, meetings on the local dialect, sunset excursions, and the Con le mani in pasta (Hands in the Dough) workshop dedicated to handmade pasta. Along the route, Ancient Craft Workshops are set up, curated by the Municipal Youth Forum, alongside exhibitions of agricultural tools, vintage wedding dresses, and historic motorcycles. The evenings are enlivened by live music and performances by the Caggiano Folk Group, which brings the songs and dances of the Campanian folk tradition back into the alleys.

An itinerary in the Caggiano of the Templars

Walking among the stalls also means visiting the town. During the event, the Norman castle, with its 11th-century towers, remains open to the public, as do the historic churches of the village: the mother church of the Santissimo Salvatore, with its Romanesque layout; the church of Santa Caterina, which houses works by the painter Nicola Peccheneda; and the church of Santa Maria dei Greci, considered the oldest in the town. For years, Caggiano has presented itself as the City of the Templars, recalling the traditions linked to the order's presence in the territory, and on clear days, the view from the belvedere opens up to a vast panorama towards the gulf.

A community event

The event was born in the early nineties and has accompanied Caggiano summers for over thirty editions, with evenings that have often drawn thousands of visitors from the municipalities of the Vallo di Diano, the Alburni, and nearby Basilicata. The organization is entirely entrusted to the Pro Loco, chaired by Nicola Morrone, with the patronage of the Municipality of Caggiano and the support of local associations and UNPLI Campania. It is an event that thrives on the work of volunteers: those who cook, those who serve at the tables, those who set up the workshops, and those who guide visitors along the route.

When it takes place

The Culinary Trail is traditionally held in the first days of August, over four consecutive evenings: the 33rd edition took place from August 7 to 10, 2025, while previous editions were concentrated around August 8-11. The dates for the 2026 edition have not yet been released by the organizers: it is best to follow the official channels of the Pro Loco Caggiano to find out the schedule as soon as it is published.