Feast of Maria SS. della Stella

A centuries-old Marian devotion

In Riardo, a small town in the Alto Casertano area in the province of Caserta (Campania), the most heartfelt event of the year is dedicated to Maria Santissima della Stella, the town's co-patroness. The cult is linked to the chapel in the Saiano area, on the hills overlooking the town: a building whose origins date back to the first half of the 11th century, when it was officiated by Benedictine nuns from Teano, later abandoned between the end of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th century and gradually hidden by vegetation.

Popular tradition tells that the site was rediscovered around 1450 by a shepherd who, while looking for a lost sheep, saw it kneeling in front of a bramble bush: once the area was cleared of thorns, the Marian image re-emerged and the chapel returned to being a destination for pilgrimages. Today, the object of devotion is an 18th-century statue of the Madonna, wrapped in a blue mantle sprinkled with golden stars and holding the Child, crowned in 1980. In 2022, the De Ponte family donated the chapel to the Municipality of Riardo.

When it takes place: the Tuesday after Pentecost

The feast has no fixed date because it follows the liturgical calendar: it opens on the Tuesday following Pentecost and therefore falls on a different date each year, between late May and mid-June. In 2026, the festivities took place from Tuesday, May 26 to Sunday, May 31, preceded by the novena; in 2025, they fell from June 10 to 15.

The 2026 edition program

• Tuesday, May 26 — Opening of the festivities: at 6:00 PM, the procession leaves the Mother Church and accompanies the statue to the chapel, where it remains until May 31; at 9:30 PM, at Villa Violati, a concert by the Premiato Storico Concerto Bandistico Città di Lanciano.
• Thursday, May 28 — At 6:00 PM, the arrival of the faithful from Pietramelara at the chapel, followed at 6:30 PM by Holy Mass.
• Friday, May 29 — At 6:30 PM, Holy Mass in the chapel celebrated by Father Marco Stolfi with the San Vincenzo de' Paoli Association, dedicated to the elderly and infirm; at 9:00 PM, the traditional torchlight vigil, which reaches the sanctuary from the Church of San Leonardo.
• Saturday, May 30 — At 9:30 PM, at Villa Violati, a concert by Fausto Leali, the guest of honor of the edition.
• Sunday, May 31 — At 8:00 AM, Holy Mass with the return of the statue to the Mother Church, at 11:00 AM, the Eucharistic celebration, at 9:30 PM, the musical show by Peppe Zona, and at 11:30 PM, the fireworks display that closes the festivities.

The torchlight vigil, the most suggestive moment

If there is one event that sums up the spirit of the feast, it is the evening torchlight vigil. The procession of torches winds from the Church of San Leonardo, in the historic center, up to the hillside chapel: a journey of prayer and song that involves entire families, children included, and offers one of the most beautiful images of the year in Riardo. The devotional twinning with nearby Pietramelara, whose faithful climb to the sanctuary on a dedicated day, moves in the same spirit.

Villa Violati and the evening shows

Alongside the religious dimension, the feast has a robust civil soul. The stage is Villa Violati, which hosts band concerts, musical shows, and nationally renowned guests every evening: in 2026 it was the turn of Fausto Leali, a historic voice of Italian pop music, while previous editions have seen a rotation of marching bands, dance orchestras, and folk music groups. The grand finale is entrusted to fireworks at midnight, an unmissable tradition of patronal feasts in Campania.

Riardo and its territory

Riardo has just over two thousand inhabitants and lies at the foot of Monte Maggiore, in an area known for its mineral waters and the vineyards of the Alto Casertano. The village preserves its medieval castle and the Church of San Leonardo, with its Catalan-style portal. For the visitor, the feast is an opportunity to discover a piece of inland Campania far from the most beaten tourist routes, a short distance from Teano, Pietramelara, and the Matese Regional Park.

Who organizes the feast

The organization is entrusted to the Riardo Patronal Feast Committee, which works together with the parish priest Father Marco Stolfi and with the support of the Municipality of Riardo. The liturgical part is part of the calendar of the Diocese of Teano-Calvi: during the main celebrations, it is not uncommon for Bishop Msgr. Giacomo Cirulli to preside over Holy Mass in the chapel dedicated to the town's patroness.