Grandparents and Seniors Festival

A festival that puts grandparents at the heart of the community

The Grandparents and Seniors Festival is the event through which Torella dei Lombardi, a small town in the Alta Irpinia area of the province of Avellino, in Campania, dedicates an entire day to its older generations. It is neither a culinary festival nor a show, but a social and community celebration: a moment when the town gathers to recognize the role of grandparents as keepers of collective memory and as a daily point of reference for families.

In a village of just under two thousand inhabitants, perched at over 650 meters above sea level among the hills of eastern Irpinia, an initiative of this kind has a value that goes far beyond a single day. It is a way to combat the isolation of the most vulnerable, reconnect different generations, and reaffirm the sense of neighborhood that remains a strong social bond in the Campanian hinterland.

The first edition, in October 2025

The inaugural edition took place on Sunday, October 19, 2025, and was promoted by local associations together with the parish and the municipal administration. The community's response was significant: about 250 people took part in the day, joined by local political and ecclesiastical authorities.

The tone of the initiative was deliberately simple and participatory: being together, listening, and sharing. A structure that worked so well that the event was received with great favor by participants and presented from the start as the «first edition», marking the beginning of an event destined to be repeated over the years.

Information and prevention: advice from the Carabinieri

One of the most attended moments of the day was the talk by the Commander of the local Carabinieri Station, who illustrated a series of practical tips for preventing scams against the elderly: how to recognize common tricks, how to behave when strangers appear at the door or on the phone, and who to contact in case of doubt.

• Distribution to all participants of the «Beware of scams – #wecanhelpyou» information brochures, created by the General Command of the Carabinieri
• Space for direct dialogue between citizens and law enforcement, with questions and testimonies
• Presence of civil and ecclesiastical authorities alongside the community

This informative aspect is what distinguishes the Torella festival from a simple celebratory event: alongside the conviviality, there is concrete content regarding protection and service, which is particularly valuable in a context where many elderly people live alone.

Who organizes it

The event stems from a collaboration between different local entities. Local associations handle organization and hospitality, the parish ensures the community and spiritual dimension of the day, while the Municipality of Torella dei Lombardi supports the initiative on an institutional and logistical level. It is a formula typical of the villages of Alta Irpinia, where volunteering keeps community life alive.

Torella dei Lombardi, the town hosting the festival

Torella dei Lombardi is located in the eastern part of the province of Avellino, on the edge of the Alta Irpinia Mountain Community, a short distance from Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, Nusco, and Paternopoli. The center is dominated by the castle, which has served as the town hall since 1959 and also houses a small museum. The town is linked to the history of Italian cinema: Roberto Roberti, the pseudonym of Vincenzo Leone, father of director Sergio Leone, was born here.

Like all of Alta Irpinia, Torella still bears the scars of the 1980 earthquake, for whose reconstruction the community received the Gold Medal for Civil Merit: this is also why occasions dedicated to those who lived through that history firsthand have a special meaning here.

Towards the 2026 edition

At the moment, no official dates have been released for the 2026 edition of the Grandparents and Seniors Festival. Considering that the first edition was held in October, the month in which Italy celebrates Grandparents' Day, it is reasonable to expect that the next event will also take place during the same period, but the calendar remains to be confirmed. For updated information, it is advisable to follow the channels of the Municipality of Torella dei Lombardi, the parish, and the associations promoting the event.