Gusto Italia in Tour

A travelling fair that tells the story of Italy through its flavours

Gusto Italia in Tour is the travelling fair of Italian specialties and artisan traditions promoted by the Associazione Italia Eventi, chaired by Giuseppe Lupo. For years, the event has travelled through the centre and south of the peninsula, bringing producers, artisans, and masters of taste to the public squares: each stop becomes a small village of wooden chalets where you can stroll freely, taste, shop, and listen to music. In Vietri sul Mare, in the Province of Salerno, the fair effectively kicks off the summer season of the tour along the Campanian coast.

The stage: the Marina of Vietri sul Mare

The stands are set up along Via Cristoforo Colombo and in the Lungofiume area, in the heart of the Marina, just a few steps from the beach and the historic centre. The choice of location is no coincidence: Vietri sul Mare is the first town on the Amalfi Coast you encounter when arriving from Salerno and is universally known as the City of Ceramics, with its majolica domes and the workshops that have made Vietri's decor famous worldwide. A fair dedicated to craftsmanship finds a natural setting here, in a municipality of Campania where handmade work is a collective identity even before it is an economy.

What you will find among the chalets

The exhibition route showcases the gastronomic excellence of several Italian regions, with a strong presence from the South. Among the stalls, you will find:

• Artisan cured meats and cheeses, with products made from black pork and the famous Calabrian 'nduja;
• Puglian taralli, dried fruit, spreads, and confectionery specialties;
• Giffoni PGI hazelnuts and other specialties from the Salerno province;
• Artisan liquorice and liqueurs produced in small distilleries;
• An area dedicated to artistic craftsmanship: costume jewellery, leather goods, wood and vinyl creations, home decor, and natural wellness products.

This is not just any market: the sellers are almost always the producers themselves, which allows you to learn about the supply chain, seasonality, and production techniques directly from the exhibitors.

Shows, music, and families

Gusto Italia's formula has always combined the culinary journey with a programme of free entertainment. In Vietri sul Mare, the schedule is designed primarily for families: every day, from the early afternoon until evening, the National Puppet Theatre of master Mauro Apicella performs live shows featuring Pulcinella and puppets, one of the most authentic and ancient forms of Neapolitan popular theatre. This is complemented by the travelling musical entertainment of the folk music group L'Antiqua Giostra, which accompanies the public with tammorre, traditional songs, and the sounds of the South.

A free-entry event

Access to the fair is completely free and requires no reservation: you can enter and leave as you please for the duration of the event, with stands open from late afternoon until midnight. It is a formula that fits perfectly with the summer rhythm of the Coast: after the beach and before dinner, or for a stroll after dinner, when the breeze makes a stop on the riverfront even more pleasant.

The surrounding area

Those arriving in Vietri sul Mare for the fair can easily extend their visit: the historic centre with the Church of San Giovanni Battista and its majolica dome, the Museum of Ceramics at Villa Guariglia (in the hamlet of Raito), the Marina beach with its famous sea stacks, and, a few kilometres away, Salerno with its promenade and Norman Cathedral. The Vietri stop is also part of a wider calendar that touches other locations in the province of Salerno throughout the summer, from the Cilento to the Coast.

Why it's worth it

Gusto Italia in Tour is not a thematic festival tied to a single product, but a cross-sectional showcase: in one evening, you can taste Calabria, shop in Puglia, and take home a Campanian craft object. For foreign visitors, it is an immediate and barrier-free way to understand how fragmented and rich the Italian gastronomic geography is; for locals, it is an opportunity to rediscover products that rarely reach the shelves of large retail chains.