Cilento Selvaggio - Hunting, Cynology, Nature, and Traditions Festival

Cilento Selvaggio: a new festival in the heart of the Park

From September 4th to 6th, 2026, the village of Roscigno Vecchia, in the Municipality of Roscigno (Province of Salerno, Campania), hosts the first edition of Cilento Selvaggio - Hunting, Cynology, Nature, and Traditions Festival. The initiative was born in the heart of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park with a clear goal: to enhance the inland areas and propose a new vision of the territory, capable of transforming what is currently experienced primarily as a problem—starting with the increasingly massive presence of wild boars—into an economic resource.

Roscigno Vecchia, a village to be rediscovered

The festival takes place among the houses and squares of Roscigno Vecchia, one of the most evocative places in the Cilento Alburni and an intact testament to southern peasant civilization. The organizers chose this setting to link the event to gastronomy, local traditions, cynology, and outdoor culture, offering the village a concrete opportunity for tourism development. The formula aims to combine a trade fair dimension with a slow discovery of the Park's landscape.

Exhibitors, outdoor, and the world of cynology

Over the three days, some of the best Italian exhibitors in the hunting sector, technical outdoor clothing, the cynology industry, and gastronomy are expected. Concurrently with the festival, the ENCI Village Cilento will take place, with dog shows dedicated to enthusiasts: this is the segment the promoters are focusing on most, with a view to promoting cynological tourism that integrates nature, breeding, and hospitality.

• Exhibition area for the hunting sector and outdoor equipment
• Technical clothing and hiking accessories
• ENCI Village Cilento, with dog shows
• Food stalls and local producers
• Space dedicated to the «Monte Pruno Ambiente & Vita» Game Control Association

Wild game as the star of the table

One of the central themes of the event is the promotion of wild game meat, particularly wild boar, with tastings and show cooking. The project looks toward building a certified supply chain for wild boar meat: a strategy that, according to the promoters, can help combat poaching and restore economic value to wildlife control activities carried out by trained operators. It is a topic that closely affects farmers and breeders in inland Cilento, who are struggling with crop damage.

Who promotes the festival

Cilento Selvaggio is promoted by the «Monte Pruno Ambiente & Vita» Game Control Association of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, the Municipality of Roscigno, Banca Monte Pruno, the Monte Pruno Foundation, and the Pro Loco Roscigno Vecchia APS. The Salerno section of the Italian Pro Segugio Society, Team Monte Pruno, and the Terra Mia association also collaborate on the project. The format was created in partnership with the Caccia Village of Bastia Umbra, whose management supported the Cilento organizers: a preview titled «Road to Cilento Selvaggio» took place in Bastia Umbra from May 16th to 18th, 2026, while the project had already been presented to the public in Roscigno Vecchia during the Asparagus Festival.

An event that sparked debate

The word «hunting» in the title sparked a very lively debate in the summer of 2026: animal rights associations, WWF Italy, and the WWF Campania delegation contested the consistency between the mission of protecting a national park and an event dedicated to the hunting world, requesting the revocation of the patronage. The President of the Park, Giuseppe Coccorullo, replied by recalling that hunting remains prohibited within the Park's borders and that the festival does not promote recreational hunting, but rather scientific wildlife control entrusted to trained game controllers, conditioning the patronage on the verification of the final program. Visitors arriving in Roscigno will therefore find an event built around wildlife management, cynology, hiking, and local products.

Why it is worth a visit

For those who love the Cilento mountains, working dogs, and rural cuisine, Cilento Selvaggio is an opportunity to explore a less-traveled side of Campania: that of the Alburni, the Park's forests, and the inland villages of Salerno, just a few kilometers from the sea but far from the crowded beaches of early September. As this is the first edition, it is advisable to follow the channels of the Municipality of Roscigno and the Pro Loco for the final program.