Festa della Collina Festival

Four nights of celebration in the heart of Vallo di Diano

The Festa della Collina takes place every year from August 16th to 19th in the village of Arenabianca, just a few kilometers from the center of Montesano sulla Marcellana, a town in the province of Salerno, in Campania. The heart of the event is Piazza Mario D'Acunti, which for four consecutive evenings fills with food stalls, a stage, amusement rides, and open-air dining tables. Born as a local village feast and having grown with every edition, it is now one of the most anticipated events of the summer in the Vallo di Diano: 2026 marks its 24th edition.

The rustic cuisine of Vallo di Diano

The menu is the true calling card of the festival and remains faithful to the recipe books of Arenabianca families. Everything is prepared by association volunteers and served at the tables in the square, with generous portions at popular prices.

• Cavatelli with cannellini beans, the festival's signature dish
• Homemade fusilli with ragù
• Pastoral-style mutton, the most iconic recipe of the local shepherding tradition
• Stewed snails
• Roasted scamorza cheese, sausages, and grilled meats
• Bruschetta and French fries
• Village-style desserts and the famous zeppola della Collina
• Local wine and soft drinks

The artisanal and agri-food quality of the festival has been recognized by the DE.CO. mark of the Municipality of Montesano sulla Marcellana, which protects municipal designations linked to local products and preparations.

Live music, entertainment, and fireworks

Every evening, the stage in Piazza Mario D'Acunti hosts a concert or musical show, usually starting at 9:00 PM: folk and dance bands, tribute bands, and DJ sets. Before the concerts, around 8:00 PM, the area dedicated to children opens with entertainment, mascots, face painting, and magic shows, while the amusement rides remain active throughout the evening. The closing, on the night of August 19th, is traditionally entrusted to a grand fireworks display over the hill, which attracts crowds from neighboring towns as well.

A Plastic-Free festival

For several editions, the event has adopted a Plastic-Free policy: single-use plastic tableware and materials are banned from the festival area, with systematic waste sorting in place. It is a choice consistent with the identity of an event that originates from the countryside and thrives on the hilly landscape that gives it its name.

Arenabianca, Montesano, and the Vallo di Diano

Arenabianca is one of the hamlets of Montesano sulla Marcellana, a town spread across the hills that close the Vallo di Diano to the east, just a stone's throw from the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park and the Certosa di Padula, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visitors arriving for the festival will find, just a few minutes' drive away, some of the most visited sites in the province of Salerno: the Pertosa-Auletta Caves, the village of Teggiano, and the springs of the Bussento river. In this context, the Festa della Collina is the best opportunity to discover the everyday cuisine of the Vallo di Diano far from the tourist circuits of the Cilento coast.

Who is it for?

It is a family-friendly and intergenerational festival: you eat sitting in the square, dance in front of the stage, and children have a dedicated program every evening. The atmosphere is that of a traditional mid-August village fair, with many returning emigrants and families reuniting during these days. Those looking for an authentic event, free to enter and deeply rooted in the territory, will find in Arenabianca one of the most genuine appointments of the Salerno summer.