Frisc & Paesan

The festival of Vico's local produce

Frisc e Paesan is the event that brings the flavors and crafts of the countryside climbing the Lattari Mountains to the hillside hamlet of Moiano, in the municipality of Vico Equense (province of Naples, Campania). The festival was created to highlight the region's finest products, all strictly zero-kilometer and rooted in the land, and to share their stories through the people who produce them every day: cheesemakers, farmers, and family-run agricultural businesses.

Provolone del Monaco, the undisputed star

The signature product of the festival is Provolone del Monaco, the stretched-curd cheese of the Lattari Mountains that finds one of its historic strongholds in the Vico area. During the festival, cheesemakers demonstrate the production process live—an ancient craft that the public can observe up close—alongside other dairy products and goods from local farms. This is the heart of the event: not just a tasting, but a chance to see how a cheese that has shaped the gastronomic success of the Sorrento Peninsula is truly made.

Three evenings of tastings and performances

The format, as described by the Pro Loco of Vico Equense, spans three evenings: alongside tasting stalls and production demonstrations, there are theatrical and musical performances designed for both adults and children, making the festival a family-friendly event. The streets and small squares of the hamlet serve as a natural stage, with lights coming on at dusk as the crowd moves from one stand to another.

Moiano, a community telling its own story

Moiano is one of the most vibrant hillside hamlets in the municipality of Vico Equense, a village within a village that multiplies its events during the summer. The social promotion association Frisc e Paesan APS, which gives the festival its name, is the same group that promotes the Palio di San Renato, the competition between the six districts that enlivens Piazza Scanna every summer: two sides of the same effort to animate the territory, one gastronomic and the other linked to traditional games and the historical memory of the village. Visitors arriving in Moiano during this period find a community putting on a show for itself, without filters created for tourists.

Part of the Vico d'Estate program

The event is part of the galaxy of zero-kilometer festivals that the municipality of Vico Equense gathers every year under the Vico d'Estate banner, alongside events such as A Vico per Cacio in the historic center, GiroGustando in Seiano, Arte e Orto in Montechiaro, and the Potato Festival, also in Moiano. It is a circuit that, from village to village, tells the story of an agriculture in a city better known for its sea and pizza, revealing an inland area that is still productive.

When it takes place

Historically, Frisc e Paesan takes place in July: the edition documented by the local press was held from July 21st to 23rd, following other summer festivals in Vico. For more recent years, no official dates have been released on the channels of the Municipality of Vico Equense or the Pro Loco: it is therefore advisable to check the calendar before traveling, especially if coming from outside the region.

Tips for your visit

• Arrive early: the hamlet's spaces are intimate, and the most popular stands get crowded during the peak hours of the evening.
• Live cheese-making demonstrations have their own schedules: ask the organizers at the entrance so you don't miss them.
• The hillside elevation makes the evenings cooler than on the coast: a light sweater is almost always useful.
• It is worth combining your visit with a walk towards Santa Maria del Castello, one of the most beautiful panoramic viewpoints over the gulf on the Sorrento Peninsula.