Cicerale Chickpea Festival

The Cicerale Chickpea Festival

In the heart of Cilento, just a short distance from Agropoli and the Tyrrhenian coast, the Municipality of Cicerale (Province of Salerno, Campania) dedicates four days every summer to the legume that defined its name and identity. The Chickpea Festival brings the village's historic center to life with food stalls, live folk music, and folklore shows, drawing visitors from across the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park.

The municipal coat of arms bears the Latin motto Terra quae cicera alit, "land that nourishes chickpeas": an ancient indication that tells the story of the bond between this town of just over a thousand inhabitants and its most precious crop better than any brochure. During the festival, the village alleys turn into a journey of taste and culture, with open-air dining tables, artisan workshops, and small spaces set up among the stone houses.

The Cicerale Chickpea, a Slow Food Presidium

The absolute star of the event is the local Cicerale chickpea, recognized as a Slow Food Presidium in 2012. It is a small, round legume, golden in color with hazelnut undertones, featuring an intense flavor and a thin skin that makes it particularly digestible. It grows on the clay hills of the municipal territory without irrigation or chemical treatments, following a traditional agricultural practice that has remained almost unchanged over time.

• Dry cultivation, without synthetic fertilizers or irrigation
• Small, regular shape, golden color with hazelnut highlights
• Rich in vitamin C, B-group vitamins, minerals, and potassium
• Excellent cooking consistency and bold flavor, very different from industrial chickpeas

What to eat

The festival's signature dish is lagane e ceci, fresh handmade pasta rolled with a rolling pin and seasoned with local legumes: a humble recipe, passed down from generation to generation, which has become a true symbol of identity in Cicerale. At the food stalls, however, the chickpea can be found in every course, from appetizers to desserts.

• Lagane e ceci, the event's signature dish
• Traditional Cilento-style chickpea soups
• Chickpea-based fritters and fried snacks
• Rustic salads and garden-fresh dishes
• Local desserts and Campania wines

Music, folklore, and social life

Every evening, a different group takes the stage set up in the historic center: the musical program favors the Cilento and Southern Italian repertoire, including tarantellas, traditional songs, and Mediterranean sounds. Alongside the concerts, there are folklore shows, art exhibitions, games for adults and children, local craft displays, and storytelling moments dedicated to the town's history. The festival is part of the summer circuit of the Notti del Cilento, which brings together the main popular events in the area.

A year-round project

For several seasons, the Municipality of Cicerale has supported all phases of the legume's cultivation with public initiatives: sowing in spring, harvesting in summer, threshing, and finally, tasting. In April 2026, the sowing took place with the participation of administrators, citizens, and young people from the GOL project, together with Giovanna Voria, ambassador of the Mediterranean Diet; Mayor Giorgio Ruggiero spoke of a gesture that belongs to the community's history. The August festival is therefore the culmination of a collective journey, not just a gastronomic evening.

The village and the territory

Cicerale stands on a ridge covered in centuries-old olive groves, behind Agropoli, within the perimeter of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The ancient core preserves narrow alleys, stone portals, and the Palazzo Marchesale Primicile Carafa, whose courtyard hosts several events linked to the chickpea cycle. Those arriving for the festival can easily combine the visit with the Cilento sea, the temples of Paestum, and the inland villages, in an itinerary that blends archaeology, nature, and the cuisine of the Mediterranean Diet.