Feast of Saint Paolina Virgin and Martyr — «Piazza...in Fiore» (Zucchini Flower Festival)

A patronal feast in the heart of Irpinia

Santa Paolina is a small municipality in the province of Avellino, in Campania, nestled in the middle valley of the Sabato river: with just over twelve hundred inhabitants and an agricultural vocation reflected in the surrounding vineyards and vegetable gardens. Every year, in the final days of July, the village transforms: fairy lights line the alleys, the square fills with tables and stalls, and those who moved away return home. It is the patronal feast in honor of Saint Paolina Virgin and Martyr, the most anticipated moment of the village calendar, accompanied by the food and wine festival «Piazza...in Fiore».

Devotion to Saint Paolina Virgin and Martyr

The saint who gives the town its name is venerated as a virgin and martyr, and local tradition also honors her parents, Saint Candida and Saint Artemius, whose busts are displayed during the festivities. The community celebrates the patron saint twice a year: on June 6th, the date traditionally linked to her birth, and especially in the last days of July, when the solemn cycle of celebrations is concentrated.

The religious heart of the festival is the Sunday procession: in the late afternoon, as the heat subsides, the statue of the saint is carried on shoulders through the village streets, accompanied by the Confraternities of the Rosary and the Madonna delle Grazie, municipal authorities, and a long procession of the faithful. Upon return, mass is celebrated outdoors in Piazza IV Novembre, before the entire gathered village. The days are marked by masses, the panegyric delivered by a guest preacher, and, in closing, fireworks.

«Piazza...in Fiore»: the zucchini flower festival

For about a decade, the religious feast has had a gastronomic counterpart that has become equally iconic: «Piazza...in Fiore», the festival dedicated to ciurilli, or zucchini flowers, a humble summer product celebrated here in all its variations. In 2025, the event reached the milestone of its tenth edition.

The stands set up in the square offer a menu entirely built around the zucchini flower:

• fried ciurilli in batter, the most classic and popular version;
• stuffed ciurilli, filled according to family recipes;
• baked ciurilli and other traditional Irpinian peasant dishes;
• pairings with wines from local producers, in an area bordering the lands of Greco di Tufo and Fiano di Avellino.

The initiative stems from the collaboration between the Municipal Administration, the Pro Loco, and the Youth Forum of Santa Paolina, with the support of the Province of Avellino: a festival created by the village volunteers.

Tombolo, an ancient art

One element that makes «Piazza...in Fiore» different from many other food festivals is the space dedicated to tombolo, the bobbin lace that has been passed down in Santa Paolina since the late Middle Ages. The local school is considered the oldest in the Avellino area and still counts about twenty students. During the evening, the pizzillare, the master lace-makers, work in public and show visitors the rapid movements of the bobbins.

Music, brass bands, and fireworks

The festival's soundtrack alternates between different registers: the brass band, which travels through the streets on the day of the procession and holds the evening concert in the square according to a ritual that remains the hallmark of patronal feasts in Campania; folk music, with local groups reinterpreting tarantellas and traditional songs in a contemporary key; lighter evenings featuring comedy shows and tombola; and the moment when everyone looks to the sky for the final fireworks display.

When it takes place

The festivities are traditionally held in the last week of July, with the main events occurring on the last Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of the month. In 2025, the program ran from July 24th to 29th, with «Piazza...in Fiore» on Friday evening and the procession on Sunday. The dates for the following edition are usually announced by the Municipality and the Pro Loco a few weeks in advance.

Why it's worth the trip

Santa Paolina is not a mass tourism destination, and that is precisely its value: those who arrive here at the end of July find a festival made for the village and not for the public. It is an opportunity to traverse a lesser-known corner of Irpinia, taste rustic country cuisine, listen to a brass band in the square, and see an artisanal craft in action that has disappeared elsewhere.