Camerota Music Festival
A week of widespread music, poetry, and rural traditions across Camerota, Licusati, and Lentiscosa
About Music Festival
Camerota and the Summer Solstice
The Municipality of Camerota, in the province of Salerno, occupies one of the most iconic stretches of the Cilento region: a medieval town perched on a hillside, a marina overlooking the caves and coves of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, and two inland villages, Licusati and Lentiscosa, which have preserved their traditional rural character. It is in this territory that, every year around June 21st, the Music Festival is celebrated, a European event that Italian Pro Loco associations have embraced and transformed into a community feast.
The '5 Senses + 1' Project
In Camerota, the Music Festival is not just an isolated evening but the heart of a broader project called '5 Senses + 1', curated by the Pro Loco Camerota APS. The idea is both simple and ambitious: to tell the story of the local identity through experiences that engage all the senses—hearing with music, taste with local produce, smell and touch with olive mills and farm tools, sight with the villages—and to add a sixth element: shared memory. For a week, events move from square to square and village to village, ensuring no part of the municipality remains a mere spectator.
Cilento Folk Music and New Bands
The musical programming blends very different styles. On one hand, there is the folk repertoire, entrusted to Cilentani Folk groups who guide the audience through the alleys with tammorre, accordions, and songs belonging to the oral tradition of Cilento. On the other, there are contemporary acts: in the most recent edition, the Licusati stage hosted Mare Forza 7 and the noise-grunge sounds of La Poesia che non c'è più. It is a successful coexistence because the audience is the same: local families, young people, and visitors from the coast.
Beyond Concerts: Poetry, Olive Mills, and Maracuoccio
Alongside the music, the program makes space for other ways of telling the story of the territory:
- the 'Note e Versi' (Notes and Verses) series at the Casa della Cultura in Camerota, dedicated to poetry and the presentation of local authors;
- a visit to the ancient olive oil mill in Licusati, a private museum belonging to master Pantaleo Tarallo, featuring an exhibition of traditional farm tools;
- the Maracucciata Festival in Lentiscosa, organized by the Sementa Association, dedicated to the maracuoccio, a small legume cultivated here for centuries that has become a hallmark of Cilento's gastronomic identity;
- the Wednesday Market in Piazza San Vito, which kicks off the week with live 1960s music.
The Night of Saint John
The finale is entrusted to the Night of Saint John – The Magic Night of Cilento, curated by the Terra & Mare Association. It is the most evocative event of the week: a journey through music, solstice rituals, herbs, water, and rural wisdom that draws on ancient beliefs linked to the night between June 23rd and 24th. In many Cilento communities, this night is still associated with the 'dew of Saint John,' the gathering of herbs, and bonfires: the Pro Loco and local associations have brought it back to the center of the summer calendar.
A Widespread and Free Festival
The model chosen in Camerota is that of a widespread festival: no single large stage, but squares, courtyards, cultural centers, and olive mills that light up in turn. The inland villages, which in summer risk being sidelined by the appeal of the marina, benefit the most. All events are free to attend, thanks to the work of the Pro Loco Camerota APS volunteers and the collaboration with the Fondazione Meeting del Mare C.R.E.A., the Terra & Mare Association, the Sementa Association, and Licusati Live.
Why it's worth the trip
For those spending a few days in Campania and choosing southern Cilento, the Music Festival is the perfect opportunity to leave the beach and head up into the villages. You walk a little, listen a lot, and eat well: the advice is to follow the traveling event in Licusati at sunset, dine on maracuoccio dishes in Lentiscosa, and reserve the final evening for the Night of Saint John in the main town. Those with more time can combine the visit with the sea caves of Marina of Camerota and the coastal trails of the National Park.
Music Festival — edition 2026
The 2026 edition of the Camerota Music Festival spanned seven days, from June 17 to 23, as part of the '5 Senses + 1' project promoted by the Pro Loco Camerota APS. The formula was that of a widespread festival: events distributed between the main town and the villages of Licusati and Lentiscosa, designed to enhance local identity through experiences capable of engaging all the senses.
The preview arrived on Wednesday, June 17 in Piazza San Vito, in Camerota, with the Wednesday Market – 3A accompanied by live 1960s music. The heart of the festival was concentrated on Sunday, June 21, the day of the European Music Festival: at 6:00 PM in Licusati, in Piazza San Marco, a traveling event to the notes of Cilentani Folk, with a visit to the ancient olive oil mill of master Pantaleo Tarallo and an exhibition of farm tools; at 7:00 PM at the Casa della Cultura in Camerota, the 'Note e Versi' meeting with the presentation of the poetry collection Complice la luna by Angela Veneroso; in the evening, in Lentiscosa, the traditional Maracucciata Festival by the Sementa Association, dedicated to one of the symbolic products of Cilento cuisine.
The musical program continued on Monday, June 22 in Licusati, in Piazza Giovanni Paolo II, with the concert of Mare Forza 7 followed by the noise-grunge sounds of La Poesia che non c'è più. The closing, on Tuesday, June 23 from 5:00 PM in the main town, was entrusted to 'The Night of Saint John – The Magic Night of Cilento', curated by the Terra & Mare Association: an ancient journey through music, rituals, nature, and rural wisdom.
The organization was handled by the Pro Loco Camerota APS with the collaboration of the Fondazione Meeting del Mare C.R.E.A., the Terra & Mare Association, the Sementa Association, and Licusati Live. All events were free to attend, in the Municipality of Camerota, in the province of Salerno.
Programme Music Festival 2026
Wednesday, June 17 — Camerota
- Piazza San Vito: 'Wednesday Market – 3A' with live 1960s music (festival preview).
Sunday, June 21 — European Music Festival
- 6:00 PM, Licusati, Piazza San Marco: traveling event to the notes of Cilentani Folk, with a visit to the ancient olive oil mill of master Pantaleo Tarallo (private museum) and an exhibition of farm tools.
- 7:00 PM, Camerota, Casa della Cultura: 'Note e Versi', presentation of the poetry collection 'Complice la luna' by Angela Veneroso.
- In the evening, Lentiscosa: 'Maracucciata Festival', organized by the Sementa Association, dedicated to the maracuoccio.
Monday, June 22 — Licusati
- 9:30 PM, Piazza Giovanni Paolo II: concert by Mare Forza 7, followed by La Poesia che non c'è più (noise grunge).
Tuesday, June 23 — Camerota
- From 5:00 PM: 'The Night of Saint John – The Magic Night of Cilento', curated by the Terra & Mare Association, featuring music, solstice rituals, nature, and rural traditions.
Highlights Music Festival 2026
- Traveling event on June 21 in Licusati with Cilentani Folk and a visit to Pantaleo Tarallo's ancient olive mill.
- 'Note e Versi' at the Casa della Cultura in Camerota, featuring the poetry collection 'Complice la luna' by Angela Veneroso.
- Maracucciata Festival in Lentiscosa, dedicated to the legume that symbolizes Cilento cuisine.
- Concert by Mare Forza 7 and La Poesia che non c'è più in Piazza Giovanni Paolo II in Licusati.
- The Night of Saint John, a solstice finale featuring music, rituals, and Cilento herbs.
Prices Music Festival 2026
Practical information — Music Festival
How to get there
By car: From Salerno, take the A2 del Mediterraneo motorway to the Padula-Buonabitacolo exit, then follow the road to Sanza, Poderia, and Camerota. Alternatively, from the coast, follow the SS18 to Poderia and continue towards Camerota, Licusati, and Lentiscosa. The villages are only a few kilometers apart, but the roads are narrow: it is best to leave your car at the edge of the village and continue on foot.
By train: The reference stations are Pisciotta-Palinuro and Centola-Palinuro-Marina di Camerota, on the Tyrrhenian line; from there, continue by bus or taxi, which are very limited in the evening hours.
By plane: The nearest airport is Salerno-Costa d'Amalfi; the best-served alternative is Naples Capodichino, about a three-hour journey away.
Admission and costs
All events of the Music Festival are free to attend: concerts, traveling events, literary presentations, visits to the historic olive mill, and the Night of Saint John. You only pay for what you consume at the food stalls and the Maracucciata Festival in Lentiscosa.
Where to stay
Accommodation is concentrated in Marina di Camerota, with hotels, residences, campsites, and holiday homes; in June, availability is still good, but it is advisable to book for weekends. In the inland villages of Camerota, Licusati, and Lentiscosa, you can find family-run B&Bs and guesthouses.
Tips
- The program is released by the Pro Loco Camerota APS a few weeks in advance: it is worth following their channels and the local Cilento press.
- Events move between the main town and the villages: check the exact location every evening before setting out.
- Wear comfortable shoes for the sloping alleys of the villages and bring a light sweater for the evenings, which remain cool in June.
- For information: [email protected], tel. +39 320 1481491.
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Where does it take place — Music Festival
Centro storico di Camerota, Licusati e Lentiscosa