Estate Vitulanese
Six days of folk theatre, music, marble, and solidarity in the heart of Sannio
About Estate Vitulanese
A festival that tells the story of the village
The Estate Vitulanese is the summer festival of the town of Vitulano, in the Province of Benevento, in the heart of inland Campania. Promoted by the Pro Loco Camposauro APS with the patronage of the municipal administration, the event takes place during the last days of July and the beginning of August, filling the town squares with events: folk theatre, live music, cultural meetings, conferences, solidarity initiatives, and a food stand offering traditional local dishes. It is not a single-theme festival, but a true collective narrative of the village, where associations, local artists, and volunteers work together for six days of continuous programming.
The bond with the Marble Sculpture Symposium
The feature that makes the Estate Vitulanese different from many other summer festivals is its intertwining with the Vitulano Marble Sculpture Symposium, which reaches its thirteenth edition in 2026. Vitulano is, in fact, the home of Rosso Policromo Marble, a historic ornamental stone of Sannio, quarried on the slopes of Taburno Camposauro and used for centuries in the architecture and decoration of southern churches. During the festival, a sculptor works live on a block of local marble, and the finished work is presented to the community on the final evening: the village festival thus becomes an act of promoting the stone heritage and the businesses that still work it today.
What to see and hear
- Folk theatre: performances by the Mario Viglione Folk Theatre Group, often in dialogue with the Dolce Sentire Choir, staging the sacred and profane repertoire of the peasant tradition.
- Live music: concerts by bands linked to folk music, popular Southern Italian songs, and street sounds, as well as DJ sets for younger audiences.
- La Corrida — Amateur talent show: the most anticipated talent night, open to local singers, dancers, impressionists, comedians, and musicians, where — as the organizers remind us — courage is worth more than perfection.
- Conferences and meetings: events dedicated to marble, local identity, and the local economy, hosted in the Paolo De Filippo Hall in Piazza Santissima Trinità.
- Solidarity: the Walk for the Cure, a walk supporting Komen Italia's projects for the prevention and fight against breast cancer.
- Pro Loco food stand: dishes from Vitulano cuisine and typical Sannio products, from pecorino cheese to homemade desserts.
Vitulano, the village of Camposauro
Vitulano stretches along the lower slopes of the Taburno Camposauro massif, within the regional park of the same name, a short distance from the city of Benevento. It is a rural village with an agricultural and artisanal imprint, known for its marble quarries, chestnut groves, and the pecorino cheese that gives its name to the other great village event, the Chestnut and Vitulano Pecorino Festival at the end of October. The Estate Vitulanese is the summer chapter of this calendar: those who arrive in August will find a cool mountain village, squares lively until late at night, and the possibility of combining the evening show with hikes in the Park during the day.
Why it's worth the trip
For those visiting inland Campania, the Estate Vitulanese is an opportunity to see an authentic community festival, not built for mass tourism: the shows are in the square, the artists are often local, and the audience consists of people from the village and the towns of the Vitulanese Valley. The multidisciplinary formula — theatre, music, art, solidarity sports, gastronomy — allows you to choose the evening you prefer, while the finale with the presentation of the red marble sculpture offers a moment of rare originality: a contemporary work of art that is born, literally, from the stone of the village that hosts it.
Who organizes it
The event is managed by the Pro Loco Camposauro APS, led by president Pasquale Spitaletta, who works in synergy with the Municipality of Vitulano, the Marble Sculpture Symposium, and the network of local associations. The program is released every year in the weeks leading up to the event through the Pro Loco's social media channels and the Sannio press.
Estate Vitulanese — edition 2026
Estate Vitulanese 2026: six days in the heart of the village
The 2026 festival is promoted by the Pro Loco Camposauro APS, chaired by Pasquale Spitaletta, and is organized in synergy with the 13th Vitulano Marble Sculpture Symposium and with the patronage of the Municipality of Vitulano. From July 30 to August 4, the town centre becomes an open-air stage, with a program that weaves together music, entertainment, culture, traditions, solidarity, and authentic Sannio flavours.
The most anticipated moments
The opening evening of July 30 combines theatre, music, and spirituality with the show 'Sacro e Profano — Quando il cielo bacia la terra', curated by the Mario Viglione Folk Theatre Group and the Dolce Sentire Choir. On July 31, the festival focuses on identity heritage with the conference 'Marmo Rosso Policromo di Vitulano — Scolpire il futuro. Dalla tradizione all'impresa femminile', at 7:30 PM in the Paolo De Filippo Hall in Piazza Santissima Trinità, with Mayor Raffaele Scarinzi, sculptor Mariano Goglia, Father Battista Marello, Mario Ferraro, and Luca Mauriello, moderated by journalist Angelo Cerulo; in the evening, a DJ set by Stefano Supino.
August 1 is the turn of the Corrida — Amateur talent show, the challenge of local talents open to singers, dancers, impressionists, comedians, and musicians. August 2 features the solidarity heart of the festival with the Walk for the Cure in support of Komen Italia's projects against breast cancer, followed by the concert of the Nuovo Canzoniere della Ritta e della Manca. On August 3, the Orchestrina Sanamalocchio takes the stage.
The finale: marble becoming Europe
On August 4, the presentation of the work created during the 13th Sculpture Symposium closes the festival: sculptor Father Battista Marello has worked on two symmetrical blocks of Vitulano Rosso Policromo marble, 2.6 metres high and 2 metres wide on a sandstone base, giving shape to the open pages of the Ventotene Manifesto with the island of Ventotene in bronze and the inscriptions 'Il Manifesto di Ventotene 1944' and 'Vitulano è Europa 2026'. The evening ends with a concert by Gattamolesta — Gitan Punk. Throughout the event, the Pro Loco food stand is active with traditional Vitulano dishes.
Programme Estate Vitulanese 2026
Thursday, July 30
- Opening show 'Sacro e Profano — Quando il cielo bacia la terra', by the Mario Viglione Folk Theatre Group and the Dolce Sentire Choir: theatre, music, and spirituality.
Friday, July 31
- 7:30 PM, Paolo De Filippo Hall (Piazza Santissima Trinità): conference 'Marmo Rosso Policromo di Vitulano — Scolpire il futuro. Dalla tradizione all'impresa femminile'. Speakers: Mayor Raffaele Scarinzi, Pro Loco Camposauro President Pasquale Spitaletta, sculptor Mariano Goglia, Mario Ferraro (Matter Economy Srl), Father Battista Marello (sculptor of the 2026 Symposium), and Luca Mauriello (Projenia SCS); moderated by journalist Angelo Cerulo.
- In the evening: DJ set by Stefano Supino.
Saturday, August 1
- 'La Corrida — Amateur talent show': talent show evening with singers, dancers, impressionists, comedians, and amateur musicians. Registration collected in advance by Pro Loco contacts.
Sunday, August 2
- 'Walk for the Cure': charity walk supporting Komen Italia's projects for the prevention and fight against breast cancer; official t-shirt available at the indicated distribution points (first point: Farmacia Cusano in Vitulano).
- Concert by the Nuovo Canzoniere della Ritta e della Manca.
Monday, August 3
- Performance by the Orchestrina Sanamalocchio.
Tuesday, August 4
- Presentation of the work sculpted during the 13th Vitulano Marble Sculpture Symposium, dedicated to the Ventotene Manifesto.
- Closing concert: Gattamolesta — Gitan Punk.
Every evening
- Pro Loco Camposauro food stand with traditional local dishes.
Highlights Estate Vitulanese 2026
- Inaugural show 'Sacro e Profano — Quando il cielo bacia la terra' with the Mario Viglione Folk Theatre Group and the Dolce Sentire Choir (July 30).
- Conference on Vitulano Rosso Policromo Marble, between stone tradition and female entrepreneurship (July 31, 7:30 PM).
- 'La Corrida — Amateur talent show', the most anticipated evening of the Vitulano summer (August 1).
- Walk for the Cure for Komen Italia and concert by the Nuovo Canzoniere della Ritta e della Manca (August 2).
- Orchestrina Sanamalocchio in the square (August 3).
- Presentation of the Ventotene Manifesto sculpture in Vitulano red marble and concert by Gattamolesta (August 4).
Prices Estate Vitulanese 2026
Practical information — Estate Vitulanese
How to get there
By car: Vitulano can be reached from Benevento, about fifteen kilometres away, along the provincial roads of the Vitulanese Valley; from Naples and Caserta, take the main routes towards Sannio and then head towards Foglianise-Vitulano. By train: the reference station is Benevento, connected to Naples, Caserta, and Foggia, then take buses or taxis to the village. By plane: the nearest airport is Naples-Capodichino.
Where the events take place
The events are held in the historic centre of Vitulano; conferences are hosted in the Paolo De Filippo Hall, in Piazza Santissima Trinità. Evening shows are outdoors: a light sweater is useful, as it gets cool in the evening at this altitude.
Admission and costs
Local sources do not indicate ticket sales for the shows in the square, which are open to the public. Food and drinks at the Pro Loco stand are for purchase. For the Walk for the Cure, registration is required with the collection of the official t-shirt at the distribution points indicated by the organizers.
Contacts
Pro Loco Camposauro APS, Vitulano (BN) — phone +39 0824 878025, email [email protected], Pro Loco Facebook page for the updated program. For registration for the 'Corrida', the organizers indicate the telephone numbers of the contacts published in the local press.
Where to stay
The accommodation offer in Vitulano consists of small facilities, bed and breakfasts, and farmhouses in the Vitulanese Valley; those looking for more choice will find hotels in Benevento and in the Telese Terme area, both a short drive away.
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Where does it take place — Estate Vitulanese
Centro storico di Vitulano — Piazza Santissima Trinità e Salone Paolo De Filippo
Piazza Santissima Trinità, 82038 Vitulano