Cecatiello Festival (Festival of Flavors and Street Artists)

The cecatiello, the heart of the festival

The cecatiello is a fresh, homemade pasta from the Sannio region, crafted by hand by the village's master pasta makers: small gnocchi-like dumplings hollowed out with the fingers, perfect for holding sauce until the very last bite. In Paupisi, a small town in the Province of Benevento, Campania, this pasta has inspired one of the longest-running and most renowned festivals in the region: the Festival of Flavors and Street Artists – Cecatiello Festival, which every year, on the last weekend of August, attracts thousands of visitors from across the province and well beyond the borders of Sannio.

Over half a century of local history

Born in the 1970s as a village feast, the event has surpassed its fiftieth edition and is now organized by the Pro Loco of Paupisi, led by Dario Orsillo, in synergy with the Municipality and with the support of the Campania Region. In 2023, the festival obtained the Quality Festival mark from the National Union of Pro Loco of Italy; in 2024, the Paupisi cecatiello was registered as a Traditional Agri-food Product (PAT), a recognition that solidified the bond between the dish and its territory. Recent editions have also been co-financed by the 2021-2027 Cohesion and Development Fund.

What to eat at the stands

The kitchen operates in full view, using fresh, made-to-order products and local extra virgin olive oil. The traditional Paupisi menu includes:

• Cecatielli with ragù made from choice local meats or with fresh cherry tomatoes;
• padellaccia paupisana, a rustic peasant dish;
• meat stew, french fries, and stuffed peppers;
• montanara, the fried pizza that has become so popular here it has earned its own dedicated festival in the summer;
• traditional desserts and Sannio wines, Aglianico and Falanghina, offered by local wineries.

The organizers set up three large food stands and about three thousand seats, served by six cash points where POS payments are accepted: numbers that clearly show the scale of an event that has grown far beyond the size of the village. In recent editions, the pasta makers have prepared over sixteen quintals of handmade pasta.

Street artists, music, and the Trunk Fair

The second soul of the festival is the Street Artists Festival: every evening, more than ten shows alternate in the squares and alleys of the center, featuring jugglers, acrobats, stilt walkers, and live music ranging from rock to pop, Brazilian rhythms to ballroom dancing and folk traditions. The program also includes folk dance workshops, creative labs for children and adults, thematic conferences dedicated to grain and local agriculture, free archery for all ages, and guided excursions through vineyards, olive groves, and ancient farming traditions. Throughout the festival, the village also hosts the Trunk Fair, an unusual market where exhibitors sell their goods directly from the trunks of their cars. The grand finale is entrusted to the pyromusical show with light displays.

The Golden Cecatiello Award

Since 2023, the Pro Loco has awarded the Golden Cecatiello Award, a recognition dedicated to those who have contributed to promoting Paupisi, its signature product, and the Sannio territory. In 2025, the award was also presented in memory of Francesco Pio Pannella, a young Paupisi native who passed away in a road accident in February of the same year: a community moment that gave the festival a meaning that goes beyond the table.

Paupisi, a village among vineyards and olive groves

With just over 1,300 inhabitants, Paupisi stretches at an altitude of 320 meters at the foot of Mount Taburno, along the Calore valley, in one of the most interesting wine-growing areas of inland Campania: a land of Aglianico and Falanghina, oil mills, and small farms. A short distance away are Torrecuso, Ponte, and Benevento, with the Arch of Trajan and the UNESCO-listed Santa Sofia complex.

Tips for your visit

The stands open at 7 PM and the evenings continue late into the night: it is best to arrive early, as attendance is high on the weekend. On Sunday, the program extends to the central hours of the day, with lunch at the stands, a motorcycle rally, and urban trekking. The center is decorated with colorful pinwheels, floral arrangements, braids of garlic and onions, and scenic lighting: it is worth strolling through the alleys before or after dinner.