Cheesemaker's Festival

A festival born from the milk of the Piana del Dragone

The Cheesemaker's Festival is the event that brings the product most synonymous with the town to Piazza Roma every July: the milk of the Piana del Dragone, the vast basin at the foot of the Picentini Mountains where livestock graze in the open. From that milk come the caciocavalli, fresh ricotta, pecorino, and artisanal mozzarella that take center stage in the square for three evenings.

This is no manufactured event: the festival is organized by the Pro Loco of Volturara Irpina with the patronage of the Municipality of Volturara Irpina, showcasing the dairies that operate in town every day. In just a few years, it has become one of the most popular events of the Irpinian summer: by 2024, the administration reported thousands of visitors from outside the province, and in 2025, the event reached its ninth edition.

Live dairy production

The heart of the festival is not the stall, but the workbench. Every evening, immediately after the food stalls open, the cheesemakers set up live dairy production in the square: the curd forming in the vat, the breaking, the hand-stretching, and the caciocavallo taking shape before the public's eyes. It is an open-air masterclass that explains better than any sign why these cheeses are worth the time and care they require.

Those who arrive early can follow every step and then taste the product just minutes later: warm ricotta is one of the experiences visitors remember most.

The cutting of the Trecciona

The most anticipated event is the cutting of the Trecciona, a monumental braided pasta filata cheese crafted by local cheesemakers and sliced in the square before the crowd on the central Saturday evening. It is the most photographed moment of the festival and a symbol of the manual skill of those who prepare it.

Local dairies

The Cheesemaker's Festival does not host generic exhibitors: the square features the town's own dairy businesses. In the 2026 edition, three local producers participated:

• Caseificio Valle del Drago
• Caseificio Pisacreta
• Caseificio Sarno

Alongside the cheeses, the stalls offer dishes of Irpinian cuisine built around the valley's dairy products, while local restaurants complement the festival with menus inspired by the flavors of the Piana del Dragone.

Music, games, and evenings in the square

Each evening concludes with a live concert at 10:00 PM, featuring local bands, tribute acts, and Irpinian musical projects. The program also includes traditional games in the late afternoon, designed for children and families, and—as in the 2025 edition—a show cooking event dedicated to dishes based on local cheeses. Admission to the square is free: you only pay for what you consume at the stalls.

Part of the Volturara Summer

The Cheesemaker's Festival effectively opens the Volturara Summer calendar, which continues with the feast of Saint Anthony of Padua at the end of July, the popular «A ccapo a nni monte» event in early August, and the Forty-Day Bean Festival in September, dedicated to the local legume protected by a Slow Food Presidium. Those planning a weekend in Volturara Irpina in mid-summer will find a town in constant activity.

Why it's worth the trip

There is no shortage of festivals in Irpinia, but few manage to show the bond between a landscape and a product so well. Here, the Dragone basin, the pastures, and the work of the cheesemakers all exist in the same space: you watch the cheese being born, you taste it, and you buy it directly from the person who made it. It is the most direct way to understand what the word «casaro» (cheesemaker) means in this part of Campania.