Day for Life and for Vito

A solidarity event in the heart of Cilento

The Day for Life and for Vito is a charitable event that transforms the square of Borgo San Cesareo, a hamlet of the municipality of Albanella in the province of Salerno, into a vibrant meeting place for families, volunteers, and local associations. We are in the hilly Campania region overlooking the Sele plain, on the edge of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park: an area where small towns live far from major hospitals and where the culture of emergency health care is not an abstract concept, but a daily necessity.

The event is promoted by the volunteer association La Panchina ODV, chaired by Emilia Verderame and active in the Salerno area for over sixteen years. It is neither a traditional food festival nor a music festival in the strict sense: it is a community day where fundraising, children's games, live music, and health education coexist in the same program.

The story: from tragedy to a project for everyone

The event was born from the memory of Vito, a five-year-old boy who died of a sudden cardiac arrest. From that grief, his family and friends built a collective project: in 2013, the first automated external defibrillator (AED) dedicated to his memory was installed in Albanella. Since then, La Panchina has brought over fifty AED stations to the province of Salerno, especially in the inland villages of Cilento and Vallo di Diano, accompanying them with training courses for citizens.

Each edition has a concrete goal: in 2025, the funds raised were used for two AEDs for the municipality of Laurino and an electrocardiograph; in 2026, the proceeds from the charity lottery went toward renovating the local medical clinic in Albanella, the very place that housed the first defibrillator in 2013. This is the hallmark of the initiative: solidarity always translates into a lasting benefit for the territory.

How the day unfolds

• Afternoon for children: creative workshops, entertainment, and inflatables in the square, with thematic paths that change every year.
• First aid training: a demonstration area for BLSD maneuvers and the correct use of the defibrillator, managed by volunteers from the Carmine Speranza ODV association.
• Circular economy: the "The toy circle" project invites people to bring used but still good-condition toys, which are recirculated for other children or sent for recycling, avoiding waste.
• Food area: evening food stands managed by volunteers, featuring simple traditional Cilento dishes.
• Concert for Life: the musical highlight of the evening, featuring children's choirs, local bands, and artists from the Campania scene.
• Charity lottery: the final draw that closes the day and funds the year's goal.

A family-oriented audience

The atmosphere is that of a Southern village feast, but with a clear educational vocation. The children playing on the inflatables in the afternoon are the same ones who, a little later, watch a volunteer demonstrate how to perform cardiac massage on a mannequin. The organizers' conviction is simple: cardioprotection only works if, in addition to the device hanging on the wall, there is someone who knows how to use it and is not afraid to do so. For this reason, the day is designed as an intergenerational event, with free admission and activities; you can contribute by buying lottery tickets or eating at the food area.

Albanella and the surrounding area

Albanella is a municipality of just over six thousand inhabitants nestled on the hills that separate the Sele plain from inland Cilento, in the province of Salerno. From here, you can quickly reach the archaeological site of Paestum with its Greek temples and the beaches of the Cilento coast. Borgo San Cesareo, where the event takes place, is one of the municipality's hamlets and becomes the nerve center of the area for one evening.

The event has enjoyed the patronage of various local institutions over time: the Municipality of Albanella, the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, the ASL Salerno District 69, and Sodalis CSV Salerno.

Why it's worth attending

Those who arrive in Albanella will not find a large stage or national headliners, but something rarer: an entire community mobilizing around a very practical idea of solidarity. It is an opportunity to get to know the less touristy side of Cilento and to take home knowledge that can truly save a life.