Festival of Saint Felice da Cantalice — Cerreto

A Mountain Festival in Alto Molise

The hamlet of Cerreto in Vastogirardi (province of Isernia) is a small mountain village situated along the path of the tratturi, the ancient transhumance routes of Alto Molise. Every year, around May 21st, the community gathers around the small Church of Saint Felice da Cantalice to honor the saint to whom the village is devoted.

The Cult of Saint Felice and the Miraculous Water

The devotion to Saint Felice da Cantalice, a Capuchin friar who lived in the 16th century, has been rooted in Cerreto for centuries. Annexed to the small church, built in the early 20th century with the contribution of the entire village population, was a well whose water was considered miraculous: pregnant women and the sick came there, convinced that this water promoted milk production and brought healing. A popular memory that still accompanies the festival today.

A Community Resisting Depopulation

Cerreto had about 300 inhabitants until the 1950s, before the great emigration to Canada, the United States, and Argentina emptied the village. The festival of Saint Felice is today also a moment of return and reunion for those who left and for the descendants of emigrants, who rediscover their Molise roots during the May days. The event is part of the calendar of traditions promoted by the Alto Molise MAB Reserve.