Fagotto Festival

The fagotto, a sandwich that tells the story of Succhivo

Some festivals are born from an agricultural product, while others are born from a daily gesture. The Fagotto Festival belongs to the latter: its star is a ciabattina bread stuffed with pork prosciutto and oil-preserved eggplant, the "fagotto" that people in Succhivo used to prepare to take as lunch to the fields and the terraced vineyards on the mountain. A humble sandwich, the kind that fits in a pocket and withstands the heat, it has become the gastronomic signature of this corner of the island of Ischia over the years and one of the most sought-after snacks by tourists who climb up here at the end of summer.

A tradition born in the early eighties

The event took shape in the early eighties, initiated by the local community gathered around Father Cristoforo Di Scala, and since then it has never ceased to mark the farewell to the summer season. Today, the organization is entrusted to the Pro Loco Succhivo, which every year mobilizes volunteers, ovens, and tables, with the support of the Municipality of Serrara Fontana and as part of the summer events that enliven the municipal territory.

The square, the music, and the end-of-summer atmosphere

The heart of the festival is the Succhivo square, which for one evening fills with stalls, chairs, and voices. The distribution of the fagotti is always accompanied by a live concert: over the years, the stage has hosted ethnic music groups from Southern Italy and the Mediterranean, as well as performers of Neapolitan songs, in a simple formula that brings together residents, islanders from other towns, and the last vacationers of September.

• The fagotto: ciabattina with pork prosciutto and oil-preserved eggplant, served until supplies last.
• Live music in the square, featuring repertoires linked to popular and Neapolitan traditions.
• Open-air evening, starting late in the evening according to the Ischian custom.
• Local volunteering: the Pro Loco Succhivo handles preparation, service, and hospitality.

Succhivo, Serrara Fontana, and Campania

Succhivo is one of the hamlets of the Municipality of Serrara Fontana, the only municipality on the island of Ischia that stretches from the sea to the mountains, from the seaside village of Sant'Angelo to the summit of Mount Epomeo. We are in the Metropolitan City of Naples, in Campania: a territory of terraces, vineyards, trails, and scattered houses, where community life still revolves around small squares and hamlet festivals. The village's small church dates back to the late 17th century and shows how ancient the vocation of Succhivo is to gather around its own square.

A calendar of festivals that marks the year

The Fagotto Festival is not an isolated event: in Succhivo, the Feast of Saint John on June 24th symbolically opens the summer, while on September 8th the Madonna of Montevergine is celebrated, and in December the village transforms for Christmas. In the rest of the municipality, the Wine and Sausage Festival of Fontana and the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel in Sant'Angelo, with its evocative sea procession, complete a calendar that weaves together devotion, gastronomy, and entertainment.

Why it's worth the trip

Those looking for the postcard-perfect Ischia will find it at the sea; those looking for the authentic village life will find it here, on a September evening, with the air turning cooler, the scent of prosciutto and eggplant, and a square that sings. It is a small festival, unpretentious and without tickets, where the added value is its human scale: you eat standing up, chat with those serving, and stay until the music ends. An authentic way to understand how the Green Island lives when the ferries begin to empty.