Festa patronale di San Giacomo Maggiore e La Gnoccata

San Giacomo Maggiore, patron saint of the brigands' village

In Roccamandolfi, the Matese village in the province of Isernia known as the "brigands' village" for its 19th-century history, July 25th is the date of the patron saint, San Giacomo Maggiore. The day combines religious celebrations — solemn mass, procession through the streets of the historic center, band, and fireworks — with the popular festival that has accompanied the saint for decades.

La Gnoccata, mountains of handmade gnocchi

The civil heart of the festival is La Gnoccata, the gnocchi festival, which in 2023 reached its 29th edition. At the Don Pasquale Priorello multi-purpose center, starting from 12:30 PM, volunteers from the Festival Committee and the Schola Cantorum hand-prepare generous portions of gnocchi seasoned with sauce and the essential sausage. It is a collective ritual that involves the entire village and attracts emigrants returning for the summer.

An identity festival

Between the sacred and the profane, the San Giacomo festival is one of the most heartfelt events of Roccamandolfi's summer, capable of transforming the square into a large shared table and strengthening the bonds of a mountain community proud of its traditions.