Degustarte

Degustarte: an August evening among the flavors of Irpinia

In the town of San Martino Valle Caudina, in the province of Avellino, at the foot of the Partenio massif and on the western border of Irpinia, Degustarte is the event that transforms an August evening into a gourmet journey every summer. It is not a mass-market food festival nor a large-scale event, but a more intimate experience built around the tasting of local products and wines from inland Campania, which the municipal administration and local associations have included in the town's summer calendar for years.

A staple of the San Martino summer

Degustarte does not stand alone. It is part of the summer program in San Martino Valle Caudina known as « Illumina la notte » (Light up the night), the town's August festival: a calendar that, from the beginning of the month until early September, alternates religious processions and feasts, historical re-enactments, concerts, theatrical performances, and food-themed evenings. Within this mosaic, Degustarte occupies the food and wine niche and is one of the moments the town anticipates with the most curiosity.

The event is organized by the Pro Loco of San Martino Valle Caudina APS, which manages various local identity-defining events throughout the year—from the Sant'Equizio and San Palerio Festival in mid-June to the Emigrant's Festival in mid-August, the historical pageant in August, and the Palio dei Catuozzi on Christmas Eve—and supports the Municipality in building the summer program. The event has a long history: Degustarte was already appearing in the summer program as early as 2018 and 2019.

The 2025 edition with chef Mirko Balzano

The latest documented edition took place on Sunday, August 17, 2025, presented as a true food and wine journey entrusted to chef Mirko Balzano. The formula focused on an auteur interpretation of local flavors: not just a simple tasting, but a narrative of the territory told dish after dish. This is the trait that distinguishes Degustarte from traditional local food festivals, where the focus is usually on a single product.

The flavors of the Valle Caudina

The territory hosting Degustarte is the Valle Caudina, a land of passage between the provinces of Avellino and Benevento, historically agricultural and still tied to quality production today. Among the specialties that define San Martino Valle Caudina and its surrounding area are:

• The Tarallo di San Palerio, a traditional pastry linked to local devotion and the June festival;
• Irpinian wines, starting with Aglianico and Taurasi DOCG, among the most prestigious denominations in Southern Italy;
• Vegetables, cheeses, and cured meats from the valley's farms, the foundation of local home cooking.

Visitors from outside the region find in an evening like Degustarte a convenient opportunity to understand, in just a few hours and in one place, what it truly means to eat in Irpinia: a robust, earth-based cuisine that has learned over the years to express itself through contemporary languages.

The town around the event

San Martino Valle Caudina is worth a visit regardless of the calendar. The historic center is dominated by the Castello della Duchessa, and the network of alleys, courtyards, and stairways that becomes the natural stage for summer events develops around the Palazzo Ducale and its gardens. Those attending Degustarte can also plan an evening stroll through the village, between Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Piazza Girolamo del Balzo, where most of the month's initiatives are concentrated.

The town is also a good starting point for excursions into the Partenio Regional Park and for a tour of the villages of the Valle Caudina, straddling the provinces of Avellino and Benevento.

How to follow the 2026 edition

At the moment, the date for the 2026 edition of Degustarte has not yet been made public. As is the case for most of the San Martino summer events, the program is announced in the weeks immediately preceding it, usually between the end of July and the first days of August. For those who wish to attend, the advice is to follow the channels of the Municipality of San Martino Valle Caudina and the local Pro Loco, where the event poster and booking information are published every year.