Festa di San Liberato Martire e Sagra delle Ciammaruc della Rocca

San Liberato, the most beloved saint of Roccamandolfi

In Roccamandolfi, a village in the Matese region of the province of Isernia, the feast of San Liberato Martire is the most cherished event of the year. The saint's relics arrived in the village around 1780, brought by the will of Countess Anna Pignatelli with the concession of Pope Pius VI, and for almost three centuries have been kept in the Santuario di San Giacomo Maggiore. Devotion is profound: on the first Sunday of June, the village experiences three days of religious solemnity and popular celebration.

Night pilgrimages from the Matese

Among the most touching moments are the night pilgrimages that arrive from neighboring villages — Prata Sannita, Busso, Pietravairano — crossing the Matese mountains at night to the place called "Tre Croci". The pilgrims enter the church on their knees, singing traditional songs like "Salve, Salve o Pio Guerriero". Masses begin early in the morning, and the evening procession carries the saint through the village streets, accompanied by the band of Roccamandolfi-Sant'Agapito.

Le Ciammaruc della Rocca

Coinciding with the feast is the Sagra delle Ciammaruc della Rocca, considered one of the tastiest sagre in the Matese: "ciammaruc" are snails, stewed in the peasant style and prepared in the rooms of the village school. At the food stalls, you can taste them along with local typical products, in a festival that concludes the evenings with fireworks.