Chestnut and Olive Oil Festival

Over half a century of chestnuts in the heart of Cilento

The Chestnut and Olive Oil Festival is one of the most deeply rooted autumn events in Cilento. It takes place every year in October in Salento, a village of just over 1,700 inhabitants perched at an altitude of 414 meters in the province of Salerno, Campania, within the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park. For four days, the historic center transforms into a journey of taste, craftsmanship, and music: food stalls, markets, shows, and cultural activities designed for all ages.

The origins: a bonfire, chestnuts, and community spirit

The event began in 1970, when Antonio Gorga and a group of fellow villagers decided to honor Saint Gerard around a bonfire lit in the square, eating roasted chestnuts and drinking wine in a spirit of friendship and community growth. More than half a century has passed since that evening: the 2025 edition was the 52nd, a record that places the festival among the oldest and most continuous in the entire Cilento area. Over time, the event has expanded to include extra virgin olive oil, the other iconic product of the hills surrounding the village, hence the full name of the event.

What to taste

• Roasted chestnuts prepared and distributed along the village streets, a true autumn ritual
• Boiled chestnuts and traditional sweets, including local vrole
• Extra virgin olive oil from Cilento, the star of the show alongside the chestnut
• Cilento cuisine dishes served at the historic center's food stalls
• Local wines paired with the food, following the tradition that has combined chestnuts and wine since the very first edition

Folk music, markets, and workshops

The evenings are dedicated to Southern folk music: tarantellas, accordions, drums, and bands performing traditional Cilento and Southern Italian music take turns on the stages set up in the village, with concerts continuing late into the night. Alongside the concerts, there are craft markets, educational workshops, guided tastings, and excursions into the chestnut groves surrounding the village: a way to showcase not just the product, but also the rural landscape that produces it.

Who organizes it

The festival is promoted by the Ente Festa della Castagna di Salento together with the Pro Loco Salento and the Youth Forum, with the patronage of the Municipality of Salento and the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park. Admission to the event and concerts is traditionally free: you only pay for what you consume at the stalls.

Salento, a village of chestnut groves

Salento is a small municipality in the interior of Cilento, with the hamlets of Fasana, Maroccia, and Palazza, surrounded by chestnut woods that for centuries have represented a fundamental economic resource for the community. The chestnut is therefore not just a gastronomic pretext: it is the fruit around which the village's identity was built, and the festival remains the moment when this identity is shared with visitors. Its location, halfway between the Cilento coast and the mountains of the Park, makes the village a natural stop for those visiting Campania in autumn.

2026 Edition

At the time of writing, the official dates for the 2026 edition—which would be the 53rd—have not yet been published by the organizers. In recent years, the festival has taken place in mid-October, from Thursday to Sunday (October 16-19 in 2025, October 17-20 in 2024, October 19-22 in 2023). It is therefore advisable to check the official channels of the Municipality of Salento and the Pro Loco before setting off.