Cicategli and Sausicchia Festival

A festival at the foot of the Campolattaro castle

In the heart of the Sannio region, just over twenty kilometers from Benevento, the small Municipality of Campolattaro (fewer than a thousand inhabitants, in the province of Benevento, Campania) dedicates an evening every summer to the dish that best tells the story of its rural heritage: cicategli with sausicchia, which are fresh pasta cavatelli served with tomato ragù and local sausage. The event takes place in Piazza Urbano De Agostini, the square opening up at the foot of the ancient medieval castle, and in 2025 it reached its 28th edition: a longevity that speaks volumes about the village's dedication to its culinary traditions.

Cicategli and sausicchia: the dish that gives the festival its name

"Cicategli" (or "cicatielli") is the local dialect name for cavatelli, one of the most popular types of pasta in the upper Tammaro valley: semolina, water, and the manual skill of hollowing the pasta on a board—nothing more. At the festival, they are strictly handmade according to time-honored recipes and served with local sausage. Local sources emphasize one point: all ingredients are locally sourced and completely authentic, as the essence of the festival is to showcase the territory.

• Handmade cicategli — semolina cavatelli prepared by the volunteers of the Pro Loco
• Sausicchia — the typical sausage of Campolattaro, the star of the sauce
• Salad, bread, and sides — the main dish is accompanied by the typical Campolattaro salad
• Red wine — the traditional pairing for the evening
• Other local products — available at the stalls set up in the square

A festival organized by the Pro Loco

The event is organized by the Pro Loco of Campolattaro, historically under the patronage of the Province of Benevento and the Provincial Tourism Board. As with many Sannio festivals, the engine is entirely volunteer-driven: from those kneading the pasta to those cooking, serving, and setting up the stage. The result is an unfiltered village festival, highly popular with families and emigrants returning to the village in August.

Folk music under the walls

The spectacular part of the evening is dedicated to Southern Italian folk music. In 2025, the stage featured the Trementisti, a Sannio group that revives the traditional musical repertoire of the South: tarantellas, dance songs, and instruments of the rural culture, with the audience almost always ending up dancing in the square. The formula remains the same: eat, drink, and dance outdoors until late in the evening.

Campolattaro, a Norman village and the largest lake in Campania

It is worth arriving a few hours early. The castle that dominates the town is of Norman origin, built in the second half of the 12th century and once belonging to the Di Capua family before passing to others; it is built on a rectangular plan around a central courtyard and is surrounded by the medieval village, still visible in its division into the upper district, the castle square, and the ancient village. Just below the town lies the Lake of Campolattaro, an artificial reservoir created by damming the Tammaro River: it is the largest lake in Campania, now a WWF oasis and an area of great naturalistic interest, and the municipal territory also houses the Botanical Garden of Sannio.

When it takes place and how to get information

The festival traditionally falls in the second half of August, usually on a Saturday evening, as part of the town's summer calendar: in 2025, it was held on Saturday, August 23rd. For 2026, at the time of our check, no official date or program has been released: it is best to follow the Pro Loco of Campolattaro Facebook page and the local Sannio press, which usually announce the event a few days in advance.

Tips for your visit

• Arrive early: the square is intimate and tables fill up quickly
• Bring cash: at village festivals, stalls rarely accept cards
• Bring a light jacket: at an altitude of 430 meters, August evenings can get chilly
• Combine the evening with a walk to the castle and a stop at the lake