Fried Pizza Festival and Tammorra Night

Two nights of fried pizza and tammurriata in Schiava di Tufino

The Fried Pizza Festival and Tammorra Night is the summer highlight of Schiava, a hamlet in the Municipality of Tufino, in the province of Naples, in the heart of the Nola plain, Campania. For two evenings, Via Cristoforo Colombo is closed to traffic and transformed into a long convivial space: on one side, stalls where Neapolitan pizza is fried non-stop; on the other, a stage where local bands play the tammorra until late at night. Admission is free, and you only pay for what you consume, following the most classic tradition of Campanian village festivals.

A festival born in 2015

The event was established in 2015 under the name Fried Pizza Festival during the Tammorra Night, promoted by the Insieme per Schiava festival committee. The first edition took place on Saturday, May 9, 2015, starting at 8:00 PM, also on Via Cristoforo Colombo: the menu featured penne alla boscaiola, montanara fried pizza, Mexican-style beans, sausage and friarielli sandwiches, desserts, and draft beer, while La Paranza do Criscito accompanied the evening with folk songs and tammurriate. Over the years, the festival has permanently moved to July, doubled its duration, and reached its fifth edition in 2019, attracting visitors from across the Nola and Agro areas.

Fried pizza, the absolute star

The signature dish is Neapolitan fried pizza, served in all its variations. In documented editions, the stands have offered:

• stuffed fried pizza with cold cuts and mozzarella or broccoli and sausage;
• montanara, topped with San Marzano tomato, basil, and Parmigiano Reggiano;
• sausage and porchetta sandwiches with French fries;
• sweet fried pizza, filled with hazelnut cream;
• craft draft beer, soft drinks, and water.

It is the humble yet generous cuisine that made Neapolitan frying famous: leavened dough, boiling oil, and a filling that changes from stall to stall. In Schiava, it is prepared on the spot, in front of the public, which is why the queue at the fryers never ends before midnight.

The Tammorra Night

The second heart of the festival is folk music. The tammorra, the large frame drum of the Campanian tradition, accompanies the tammurriata, a ritual song and dance linked to the religious festivals of Vesuvius, the Nola area, and the Vesuvian region. This is not a show to watch while seated: those who know the steps join the circle, castanets mark the rhythm, and the evening becomes a participatory experience. Past editions have featured local groups such as Tammorra Spaccapaese by Gerardo Amarante and Paranza ro Tramuntan, among the most active groups in reviving the Campanian folk repertoire.

A festival designed for families

The organization has always paid special attention to services, an aspect that makes the festival suitable for those arriving with children or elderly people:

• entirely outdoor area away from vehicular traffic;
• medical station and restrooms;
• guarded parking in the immediate vicinity;
• large area with seating;
• evening hours, approximately from 7:30 PM to 1:00 AM.

Tufino, a few kilometers from Nola

Tufino is a small town in the Metropolitan City of Naples, located a few kilometers from Nola and well-connected to the Vesuvian area and Irpinia. The Schiava hamlet retains the feel of an agricultural village where community life is still very strong: the festival, in fact, is not a tourist operation but the moment when the community gathers, cooks together, and opens its streets to neighbors. For those visiting Campania in summer, it is an authentic opportunity to taste fried pizza far from the circuits of Naples city and to listen live to a musical repertoire that survives precisely thanks to festivals like this.

2026 Edition

As of the update date of this page, there are no official dates yet for a new edition of the festival: the last documented edition was July 13 and 14, 2025. The reference period remains the month of July. We recommend following the social media channels of the Insieme per Schiava association, where the poster and full program are usually published a few weeks before the event.