Fiera del Bagagliaio in San Lorenzello

A market that travels with its trunk open

The Fiera del Bagagliaio is a travelling market originating in the Sannio region, with its organizational base in Melizzano, which brings its exhibitors from village to village across the province of Benevento and the rest of Campania. The formula is simple and recognizable: participants park their cars in the town centre, open their trunks, and turn them into small mobile shops. No two stalls are the same, which is precisely why collectors, vintage enthusiasts, and curious visitors follow the fair from stop to stop.

Among the most frequent destinations is the Municipality of San Lorenzello, in the Telesina Valley: throughout 2025, the town hosted the fair multiple times—in February, early May, and again during the Christmas season. Each time, the alleys of the historic centre fill with cars with raised tailgates, wooden crates, makeshift tables, and objects from every era.

San Lorenzello, the village of ceramics

San Lorenzello is no ordinary setting. The town, with just over two thousand inhabitants at the gateway to the Matese mountains, has been known for centuries for its ceramic tradition: the artisan workshops along Via Roma and Via Sorripe continue to work clay with decorations and shapes that belong to local history. Strolling among the open trunks therefore also means visiting these workshops, where you can watch pottery wheel demonstrations and purchase handmade pieces. It is a detail that makes this stop different from others: here, second-hand objects coexist with items freshly crafted by an artisan's hands.

A double event: Fiera del Bagagliaio and MercAntico

In San Lorenzello, the Fiera del Bagagliaio is often paired with MercAntico, the antiques and modern collectibles fair that the village has hosted since 1991. It is typically held on the last Sunday of the month, under the patronage of the Municipality, the Campania Region, and the Chamber of Commerce. MercAntico brings together around forty vendors with furniture, prints, and vintage items, as well as stalls selling local products; the Fiera del Bagagliaio adds a more informal and unpredictable element, featuring brocante, small modern antiques, and self-produced crafts. The combination of the two formats, first tested in February 2025, gave the historic centre a truly dynamic atmosphere, with visitors moving from workshop doorways to car trunks.

What you can find in the trunks

• Modern antiques and vintage: period furniture and home decor, lamps, radios, design objects.
• Paper and music: rare books, magazines, comics, vinyl records.
• Vintage clothing and accessories, handbags, jewellery.
• Used toys and musical instruments, often hard to find elsewhere.
• Handicrafts and handmade goods: San Lorenzello ceramics, textiles, small art objects.
• Typical Sannio products: taralli, olive oil, wine, preserves.

More than just buying and selling

The San Lorenzello stops have complemented the market with a genuine cultural programme: photography exhibitions at Palazzo Massone, live ceramic demonstrations with master potter Ottavio Coppola, public preparation of taralli, street music, artist-designed chair installations, and small theatrical performances hosted in twenty-seat venues. Local trattorias, farmhouses, and restaurants offer menus dedicated to Sannio cuisine for the occasion, often at a fixed price, making the market day an easy choice for a full Sunday excursion.

Admission and participation

For visitors, admission is free. Those wishing to exhibit must join the Fiera del Bagagliaio Association, with an annual membership fee of 30 euros, and send an application to the organizers: spots are limited and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, as the village alleys cannot accommodate an unlimited number of cars.

Dates: check the calendar

As a travelling fair, the Fiera del Bagagliaio does not have a fixed date in San Lorenzello: the calendar of stops is published periodically by the association on their official website and social media channels. At the time of our check, the 2026 calendar announced by the organizers concerns other municipalities in the Sannio and Irpinia regions, while a new stop in San Lorenzello has not yet been confirmed. It is therefore advisable to check for official updates before setting off.