Gorga Queen's Bean Festival

A festival in the heart of upper Cilento

The Queen's Bean Festival takes place in Gorga, the only hamlet of the Municipality of Stio, in the province of Salerno, in the Campania Region. The village, nestled at an altitude of about 568 meters within the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, has only a few dozen permanent residents: this is precisely why the late December event is so special, as it transforms a tiny town into the capital of a legume that is much more than just an ingredient here. Nearby, on Mount Le Corna, the Alento River rises, and the landscape of hills and fresh springs provides the backdrop for two days of tastings and music.

The Queen's Bean, a Slow Food Presidium

The absolute star is the Gorga Queen's Bean, an ancient variety of climbing white bean grown between 400 and 700 meters above sea level on clay soils, sown in mid-June and harvested between October and November. The name stems from a popular tradition according to which Queen Maria Carolina of Naples would only accept these beans on her table. It is recognized as a Traditional Agri-food Product, has been included in the Ark of Taste, and has become a Slow Food Presidium, supported by the National Park and the Municipality of Stio.

• Oval shape tending towards kidney-shaped, medium-small size, white color
• Very thin skin: cooks quickly and is highly digestible
• Delicate flavor and high sugar concentration
• Strictly natural cultivation, in very limited quantities
• Research by the Pontecagnano agricultural center has confirmed its polyphenol content and antioxidant activity

Production, which had almost disappeared, has been revived in recent years by a small group of local farmers: the festival is also the way the Gorga community defends this agricultural heritage.

What to eat

The food and wine trail winds through the alleys of the historic center, with stalls dedicated exclusively to the Queen's Bean prepared according to Cilento recipes. In past editions, visitors have found hot soups and stews, pasta and beans, bruschetta, side dishes, and cold legume salads, as well as typical Christmas sweets like zeppole and struffoli. Everything is prepared by local volunteers using home recipes: this, more than anything else, is what ensures the quality of the event.

Folk music, conferences, and atmosphere

Alongside the food, the program alternates between roving performances in the narrow streets, Southern folk music groups, and evening concerts in the square. There is also a space for reflection: in the 2025 edition, the Environmental Education Center of Gorga hosted the conference "The Magic of the Queen's Bean – from the earth to the table," with the mayor, agronomists, university professors, farmers, entrepreneurs, and Slow Food representatives gathered to discuss tradition and innovation. It is a well-established formula that combines a village festival with the serious promotion of a fragile supply chain.

When it takes place

The event traditionally falls in the days between Christmas and New Year's: the twenty-fifth edition was held on December 28 and 29, 2025. At the moment, the Municipality of Stio has not yet released the dates for the next edition, which is expected to be held in the same late December window.

Why it's worth the trip

Gorga is not a mass tourism destination, and that is precisely its merit. Those who arrive here in late December find an illuminated village, a few hundred people who all know each other, the scent of soups wafting from the stalls, and music bouncing off the stone houses. For those visiting inland Cilento outside the beach season, it is one of the best opportunities to understand how the Apennine Campania experiences its food.