Cilento Flavors Festival

A festival in the green heart of Cilento

The Cilento Flavors Festival takes place in San Felice, a small village in the municipality of Cicerale, in the province of Salerno, tucked away in the wooded interior of Cilento. This is one of those festivals born not for mass tourism, but for the community itself: it has been organized for years by the San Felice Cultural Association, thanks to the hard work of local volunteers and the participation of regional producers. The result is an open-air culinary journey that, for four nights, transforms the village streets into one large, shared dining table.

The Cicerale chickpea, the star ingredient

Cicerale carries the legume in its very name: local tradition suggests the town's name derives from the cultivation of chickpeas, which have been grown here for centuries. The Cicerale chickpea is now a Slow Food Presidium, grown on small, unirrigated hillside plots, and is prized for its thin skin and intense flavor. At the Cilento Flavors Festival, it is the common thread running through most of the dishes, served in the most traditional styles of Cilento's rustic cuisine.

Traditional dishes

The festival menu features specialties passed down through generations in inland Cilento, prepared according to family recipes:

• Fusillo cilentano, long, hollow pasta hand-rolled with a metal rod;
• Cicerale chickpeas, a Slow Food Presidium, cooked the traditional way;
• Ciambotta, a hearty vegetable stew;
• Sfriuonzolo, a local peasant-style dish made with peppers;
• Melanzane 'mbuttunate (stuffed eggplant);
• Fried pizza and local homemade desserts.

Alongside these dishes, you will find products that showcase Cilento's agriculture: extra virgin olive oil, artisanal cheeses, and farm-to-table vegetables and legumes.

Folk music under the stars

Every evening is accompanied by folk music: tarantellas, traditional songs, and folk bands playing late into the night, with the crowd dancing in front of the food stalls. This is the most authentic soul of the festival, the reason why word-of-mouth has spread far beyond the municipal borders over the years. The 2025 edition concluded with four sold-out nights and record attendance, a testament to a now-mature event.

Discovering Cicerale and Cilento

Cicerale is located within the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, a short distance from the Gulf of Salerno coast and the archaeological sites of Paestum and Velia. It is a land of olive groves, forests, and small villages where the Mediterranean Diet is not just a slogan but a daily practice; in fact, the research that made it world-famous was born right here in Cilento. The village of San Felice also hosts Le Notti del Cilento — Sagra delle Sagre Cilentane in July, another major summer event in the municipality, while in August, Cicerale dedicates the Chickpea Festival to its signature legume.

The ninth edition

In 2026, the Cilento Flavors Festival reaches its ninth edition, confirming its status as one of the most anticipated summer events in this corner of Campania. It is an event that combines the promotion of local products, community spirit, and a desire to showcase a side of Cilento far from the beach resorts—a land of hills, chickpeas, and home-cooked meals.