Feast of Saint Vitus and Zucchini Festival

A village festival between devotion and terraced gardens

The Feast of Saint Vitus and Zucchini Festival takes place in Acquara, one of the hillside hamlets of the Municipality of Massa Lubrense, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, at the tip of the Sorrento Peninsula in Campania. It is a community festival in the truest sense of the word: organized by the Parish of Saint Vitus the Martyr, cooked by the families of the village, and lived by an entire town that, for two evenings, moves tables and chairs into the small square in front of the church.

Why it is celebrated in July and not on June 15th

Saint Vitus, the patron saint of Acquara, is commemorated in the liturgical calendar on June 15th. However, the community has long chosen to celebrate him about a month later, around the second Sunday of July: a practical choice that avoids overlapping with the numerous patronal feasts of June on the peninsula and allows the festivities to coincide with the peak harvest of summer vegetables. The parish of Acquara was established in 1674, and the church dedicated to the martyr remains the physical and symbolic heart of the hamlet today.

The religious moment: the procession

The devotional heart of the festival is the Sunday evening procession, which starts around 7:00 PM and travels through the village with prayer stops along the way. According to local custom, it is preceded by a three-day preparation period (triduum) and the Forty Hours devotion. Those arriving in Acquara during those hours will find the narrow streets decorated and balconies illuminated: one of the rare moments when the village, usually quiet, shows itself in its most vibrant form.

The Zucchini Festival

In the evenings following the procession—traditionally Monday and Tuesday—the gastronomic part begins. The star is the zucchini, a humble yet flavorful vegetable that grows here in terraced gardens nestled among olive groves. The village cooks prepare it according to traditional Sorrento Peninsula recipes: rustic dishes passed down from family to family, alongside plates revisited with a touch of creativity. Between courses, people dance, sing, and chat: the festival is not a staged food and wine event, but a village dinner extended to anyone who wants to come up here.

Music, fried pizza, and a raffle

Entertainment begins both evenings at 8:00 PM. In recent years, the program has alternated between local vocal groups and evenings of music and dance, with the participation of local dance schools; the second evening usually concludes with fried pizza prepared on the spot and the drawing of the raffle, a fixed appointment highly anticipated by residents.

Acquara, a balcony over the Sorrento Peninsula

Coming up to Acquara means leaving the crowded coast and rediscovering the rural side of Massa Lubrense—the one of dry-stone walls, olive groves, and citrus orchards. The municipality has numerous hamlets scattered between the sea and the hills—from Sant'Agata sui due Golfi to Termini, from Marina della Lobra to Schiazzano—and each preserves its own feast and festival. The one in Acquara is among the most genuine: no scenery, no big stage, just a square, the illuminated church, and the scent of fried zucchini drifting from the bend in the road.

Tips for visitors

• The evenings are outdoors and begin after sunset: a light sweater is useful even in July, as Acquara is in the hills.
• Go early: seating in the square is limited and the village fills up quickly.
• Combine your visit with a trip to the Church of Saint Vitus and a walk through the terraced gardens, which are particularly beautiful in the late afternoon light.
• The festival is part of the rich summer calendar of Massa Lubrense festivals, which also includes the Lemon Festival, the Potato Festival in Termini, and the Eggplant Festival in Marina della Lobra.