Christmas on Via Bacco

Christmas in the village of caves

Christmas on Via Bacco is the Christmas festival of San Gregorio Magno, a town of just under four thousand inhabitants located at an altitude of 496 meters in the province of Salerno, Campania, nestled between the upper Sele Valley and the Vallo di Diano. For a month, from the lighting of the tree until Epiphany, the stage is not the main square but Via Bacco, the street of the caves: a thoroughfare lined with hundreds of cellars carved into the rock, which hosts the famous Baccanalia in summer and dresses up in lights, decorations, and stalls in December.

Via Bacco, over six hundred rock-hewn caves

The cave-cellars of Via Bacco are the identity heritage of San Gregorio Magno: more than six hundred cavities clustered along a single stretch of road, carved into the rocky bank and closed by masonry facades—true masterpieces of rural peasant engineering. Created to naturally preserve wine and local products according to ancient customs, they still maintain a constant temperature all year round. It is in this setting, unique in the entire province of Salerno, that the event takes place: not a market set up in a parking lot, but an urban path already steeped in history, which completely changes its atmosphere in winter.

Markets, open cellars, and Gregorian flavors

The heart of the event is the open cellars concept combined with Christmas markets. On peak days, the caves are opened to the public, and stalls line the street, showcasing and selling local products, handicrafts, gift ideas, and decorations. Alongside them, food stalls offer the flavors of Gregorian Christmas cuisine: wine from local cellars, cured meats and cheeses, fresh pasta, and festive sweets. This is a deliberate choice by the Municipal Administration, which has included the event among its experiential tourism initiatives designed to support local businesses and promote the authenticity of the town's traditions.

• Artistic lighting and decorations along the entire Via Bacco
• Cellars and caves open to the public
• Market with local products, handicrafts, and gift ideas
• Wine tastings and Gregorian Christmas specialties
• Living nativity scene and themed displays

Music, bagpipers, and family entertainment

The calendar alternates between musical moments and entertainment. The lighting of the tree opens the event and is accompanied by a gospel concert; in the days following Christmas, there are traveling shows designed for children, with elves roaming the street, and performances by the marching band. In January, it is time for the bagpiper gathering, curated by the Gruppo Folk Gregoriano, which brings the sound of the southern Apennine pastoral tradition back to the caves. The living nativity scene completes the picture, using the spaces of the cellars as natural theatrical backdrops.

A young event, born from the Baccanalia model

Christmas on Via Bacco was born in December 2025 as a winter version of a place that locals know primarily in the summer. The Baccanalia, now in its thirty-third edition, attracts thousands of visitors every August to these same cellars, with tastings, folk music, and dancing until late at night. The idea behind the Christmas event is to provide continuity to that experience even in the cold season, when the village repopulates for the holidays and many emigrants return home. The result is a widespread, free, and family-friendly event that combines the religious dimension of Christmas with the convivial nature of wine.

San Gregorio Magno, between Sele and Vallo di Diano

The town is located on the Monti Marzano, in a strategic position between the Sele plain, Irpinia, and the Vallo di Diano. Its inhabitants are called Gregoriani and they celebrate their patron saint, San Gregorio Magno, on the first Sunday of September. In addition to the caves, the area offers forests, trails, and mountain gastronomy based on legumes, cheeses, and meats. Those visiting the Christmas market can easily combine a stop at the Certosa di Padula, the Pertosa-Auletta caves, or the villages of the upper Sele Valley, all reachable in less than an hour by car.