Corbara and the Corbarino

Corbara and the Corbarino: the Lattari Mountains cherry tomato festival

In mid-July, the small town of Corbara, in the province of Salerno, Campania, transforms for two evenings into a grand open-air dining room to celebrate the product that bears its name: the Corbarino cherry tomato. The Corbara and the Corbarino event, reaching its 18th edition in 2026, fills the alleys, courtyards, and gardens of the historic center with a local motto that has accompanied it for years: «Se magna, se balla e se beve o' vino… tammorra, tarantella e pomodorino» (You eat, you dance, and you drink wine… tammorra, tarantella, and cherry tomatoes). It is not just a simple village fair, but a moment where an agricultural community showcases its very identity.

A village suspended between the Agro and the Coast

Corbara is a hillside town perched on the northern slopes of the Lattari Mountains, in the territory that acts as a bridge between the Agro Nocerino Sarnese and the Amalfi Coast. On these terraced slopes, exposed to the sun and sea breezes, the Corbarino cherry tomato ripens: small, with a thick skin and a sweet yet tangy taste, it is one of the most recognizable products of Campanian cuisine and the ideal base for quick sauces and long-lasting preserves. The festival was born precisely to tell its story to visitors, explaining how it is grown, preserved, and prepared.

Borgo Sala, the stage of the festival

The heart of the event is Borgo Sala, the ancient core of the town around Via Gerardo Giordano. For two nights, the entire village becomes a continuous path: you walk through narrow streets, peek into courtyards opened for the occasion, and move from one tasting point to another without a set order. It is a formula that works because it does not separate the public from the residents: the houses, doorways, and private gardens are all part of the scenery.

At the table: what to eat

The food stalls offer traditional local peasant dishes, almost all built around the cherry tomato. Among the specialties returning every year:

• Spaghetti allo scarpariello, the festival's signature dish;
• Corbarino caponata, with stale bread, cherry tomatoes, and olive oil;
• Sausage and Corbarino sandwich, the most popular choice among the youth;
• Gluten-free options, provided to ensure everyone can participate;
• Traditional desserts accompanied by local wine.

Admission to the event is free: you only pay for what you consume at the stalls, with affordable prices designed for families.

Tammorra, tarantella, and folk song

The soundtrack of the festival is the folk music of Southern Italy. Tammorre and tarantellas mark the evenings and guide visitors from one corner of the village to the other; in the 2026 edition, musical entertainment was entrusted to the Compagnia Paganese, with a repertoire dedicated to southern folk songs. Dancing is not confined to the stage: it is common for impromptu circles to form in the small squares, with those who know the steps teaching others.

The Calata dell'Angelo

The festival intertwines with another deeply rooted tradition of Corbara, the Calata dell'Angelo, a sacred representation of ancient origin linked to the festivities in honor of Saint Erasmus, the town's co-patron. Anyone visiting Corbara at this time of year finds themselves faced with a dual narrative: the devotional and the gastronomic, which in the culture of Campanian villages are never truly separate.

Who organizes it

The event is promoted by the Pro Loco of Corbara with the support of the Municipality of Corbara, the Slow Food Convivium of the Agro Nocerino Sarnese, and UNPLI. The presence of Slow Food is no coincidence: the festival is also an opportunity for agricultural promotion, aiming to defend a niche production and the small farmers who carry it forward on the terraces of the Lattari Mountains.

Why it's worth a visit

Corbara and the Corbarino remains a human-scale festival, far from the large food and wine events built for mass tourism. You arrive as the sun sets, eat well for little money, listen to live music, and discover a village that in summer is just a few kilometers from the chaos of the Amalfi Coast but retains a rhythm all its own. For those visiting Campania in July, it is a stop that tells the story of the territory much better than any guidebook.