Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and Saint Anthony of Padua

A rediscovered tradition

The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and Saint Anthony of Padua is the most cherished event of the year in Scisciano, a small town in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, in the heart of the Nola area. After a twenty-year hiatus, the festival was brought back to life in 2025 thanks to the efforts of a group of citizens who chose to restore a tradition deeply rooted in the collective memory. The following edition, scheduled from June 5th to 8th, 2026, confirmed this comeback, establishing it as a permanent fixture on the local calendar.

The organization is led by the Festival Committee chaired by Raffaele Sena, who has often noted that the second year is often the most difficult: reviving a festival is one thing, sustaining it is another. In Scisciano, the bet seems to have been won, with a program that continues to grow and successfully balances the devotional and civil dimensions.

Faith, Solemn Mass, and Procession

The core of the event remains religious. Liturgical appointments are managed by the local parish, led by Father Pasquale Mauro, in a territory belonging to the Diocese of Nola. The highlight is the Solemn Mass on Sunday morning, presided over by the Bishop of Nola, Monsignor Francesco Marino, followed in the late afternoon by the procession that winds through the town streets with the sacred images of Our Lady of the Rosary and Saint Anthony of Padua.

For Scisciano, the procession is more than just a ritual: it is the moment when the entire community gathers, amidst decorated balconies, lit illuminations, and families returning to town specifically for the occasion. It is also the most visible sign of an intangible heritage that was at risk of being lost.

The Potato Festival

Alongside the religious program, the festival hosts the Potato Festival, which reached its sixth edition in 2026. The initiative celebrates one of the symbolic products of the local agricultural and gastronomic tradition, with stands, tastings, and popular Campanian dishes prepared according to home recipes. It is a simple and convivial occasion, beloved by families, which gives the festival a second focal point alongside the devotional one.

The Civil Program

The secular program opens on Friday with the lighting of the illuminations, officially marking the start of the festivities, followed by the presentation of the event and a folk show dedicated to La Quadriglia e il Laccio dell'Amore, a traditional folk dance from the Vesuvius and Nola area. Saturday features initiatives promoted in collaboration with the Omodeo-Beethoven Comprehensive Institute, with young people taking center stage in Piazza XX Settembre.

On Sunday morning, the town wakes up to the sound of the Città di Mottola Musical Band, which parades through the streets according to a ritual that has always accompanied patronal feasts in Campania: the band's tour is, along with the illuminations, one of the most recognizable signs that the festival has truly begun.

Andrea Sannino and the Midnight Fireworks

The grand finale is reserved for Monday evening. Andrea Sannino, one of the most beloved Neapolitan artists of recent years, arrives in Piazza XX Settembre with his Via Partenope Summer Tour. His music, which captures the feelings, identity, and traditions of his land, is the main attraction of the civil program and draws audiences from across the entire Nola area.

The festivities conclude with the traditional midnight fireworks display, which illuminates the sky over Scisciano and puts the seal on four days of celebrations.

Scisciano and the Nola Area

Scisciano is located a few kilometers from Nola, in an agricultural plain historically dedicated to horticulture, between the Sarno Valley and the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. It is a territory where patronal feasts hold enormous social weight: they mark the year, hold generations together, and act as a glue for those who have emigrated and return home for the occasion. Rebuilding a festival after twenty years of silence, here, means much more than just organizing a few evenings of entertainment.

Why attend

• An authentic, non-touristy patronal feast, experienced by the community that organizes it
• High-impact religious rites: Solemn Mass by the Bishop and evening procession
• The Potato Festival, featuring the flavors of the Campanian peasant tradition
• Neapolitan folk music with a big name like Andrea Sannino
• The midnight fireworks display that closes the four days
• Free admission to all events in the square