Festa 'a Cappella in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Sorrows

A district festival in the heart of the Sannio

The Festa 'a Cappella — also known as the Chapel Festival — is one of the most cherished events in the summer calendar of Faicchio, a town in the province of Benevento, in Campania. It does not take place in the historic center, at the foot of the Ducal Castle, but in the Macchia district, one of the town's eight districts, in the countryside that slopes down toward the confluence of the Titerno and Volturno rivers. It is a district festival in the truest sense of the term: it stems from the devotion of the families living in those scattered houses and expands, in just a few days, to the entire Telesina Valley.

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Sorrows

At the center of it all is the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Sorrows, housed in the small Jacobucci Chapel, which gives the festival its name. The chapel, dedicated to Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, has been a pilgrimage destination for generations for the inhabitants of the district and neighboring hamlets, particularly on the first Sunday of September. Devotion to the Virgin of Sorrows intertwines here with the rural religiosity of the Sannio, made of vows, ex-votos, and a very direct relationship with the sacred image: the procession does not cross monumental squares, but country roads, courtyards, and threshing floors, and for this reason, it retains an intimate and familiar character that no one in Faicchio wants to lose.

The religious program

The central moment is Sunday, with the morning Eucharistic celebration, the evening procession with the venerated image of the Virgin of Sorrows — accompanied by the «Michele Meneo» Brass Band of Faicchio — and the final concelebration animated by the «Ave Gratia Plena» polyphonic choir. The sound of the band accompanying the statue along the district roads at sunset is the image that stays most with those who participate for the first time.

The secular program: music, dancing, and spit-roasted veal

Alongside the religious aspect, the festival organizes four evenings of entertainment on an outdoor stage every year, following a formula typical of Southern patronal festivals: show orchestras, group and ballroom dancing, folk and tammurriata music groups, and at least one concert with a well-known name from the Italian music scene. In 2025, for example, the closing evening on September 8th featured Fiordaliso.

• Food stand with spit-roasted veal, the festival's signature dish, slow-cooked and served in the district pavilion
• Group dance evenings open to everyone, with local dance instructors
• Sannio folk music with traditional percussion and accordions
• Show orchestras and tributes to Neapolitan and Italian songs
• Familiar atmosphere, with festive lights and long outdoor tables

Macchia District: a place with an ancient history

The Macchia district, which also includes the Cese area, was likely part of the ancient «Selva grande dell'Università», at the center of bitter legal disputes between Baron Gabriele De Martino and the University of Faicchio in the early 17th century. The territory preserves traces from the Roman and Early Middle Ages: in the area, there is the so-called «Castellone», a fortified settlement located at the confluence of the two rivers and defended on two sides by water. Further downstream, the remains of the Ponte del Lago are documented, a six-arch bridge along the route of the Via Latina. Walking to the chapel during the festival days means crossing an agricultural landscape that tells two thousand years of history.

Organizers

The festival is managed by the Blessed Virgin Mary of Sorrows Festival Committee, formed by the district's inhabitants, in collaboration with the Pro Loco Casali di Faicchio APS and the parish. It is entirely volunteer work: from setting up the stage to preparing the spit-roast, everything relies on the families of Macchia, which is perhaps why the festival has maintained such a genuine tone.

When it takes place

The event traditionally falls around the first Sunday of September and spans four days. In 2025, the festival was held from September 5th to 8th, while the 2024 edition took place between the end of August and the first days of September. The dates for the 2026 edition have not yet been published: it is best to follow the festival's Facebook page or inquire with the Pro Loco Casali di Faicchio in the preceding weeks.