Hasta la Cecarecchia (Cecarecchia and Nougat Mousse Festival)

A village festival in the heart of Irpinia

Hasta la Cecarecchia, also known as the Cecarecchia and Nougat Mousse Festival, is the gastronomic event that brings Dentecane to life every September. Located in the most populous district of the municipality of Pietradefusi, in the province of Avellino, the event takes place in the heart of Irpinia and inland Campania. The festivities are held outdoors in Piazza Domenico Troisi, the village's main square, which transforms into a large communal dining area for two evenings.

This is not a tourist-trap event; it is born from the volunteer work of the local community and remains an authentically popular festival, where the food is prepared according to family recipes and the crowd consists mainly of locals gathering at the end of summer. In 2024, the festival reached its seventeenth edition, marking a well-established tradition in the provincial calendar.

Cecarecchia: two pastas in one dish

The dish that gives the festival its name is a curiosity found almost exclusively here. Cecarecchia is born from the marriage of two traditional pasta shapes: Irpinian cecatiello and orecchiette, seasoned according to local home recipes. The result is a rustic and flavorful dish that tells the story of the rural cuisine of inland Campania better than any tourist brochure.

Alongside the cecarecchia, the stalls offer other local specialties:

• pizzilli, the typical savory Irpinian fritter;
• sausages and arrosticini grilled over charcoal;
• a wide selection of local wines, in a land that is the home of Aglianico and Taurasi;
• Dentecane nougat in its various forms, including the famous artisanal nougat mousse.

Dentecane, the village of nougat

The second half of the festival's name is no coincidence. Dentecane is known throughout Italy for its artisanal nougat production: historic family workshops have operated here for generations, and the pantorrone is the village's signature product, alongside hazelnuts and acacia honey. The nougat mousse, served chilled at the end of the meal, is the festival's most successful creation, ending dinner with the sweetness that has made this corner of Campania famous.

How the evening unfolds

The formula is simple and well-tested. The stalls open from 8:00 PM, and guests dine in the square at tables set up for the occasion, while the evening is accompanied by live music from local bands. Between one dish and the next, there is time for a stroll among the stalls and for the social gatherings that make these festivals the true highlight of the village's late summer.

Organizers

The event is managed by the Associazione Auxilium together with the Dentecane Festival Committee, which is linked to the celebrations of the Madonna Addolorata, with the involvement of community volunteers. It follows the typical model of Campanian festivals, where organization is entrusted entirely to the local community rather than external operators.

When it takes place

The event traditionally falls on the second Friday and Saturday of September. The 2025 edition took place on Friday, September 12th, and Saturday, September 13th; for 2026, the dates have not yet been officially confirmed by the organizers, but the reference period remains the first half of September. It is advisable to follow the Dentecane community channels and local Irpinian press for confirmation.

In the surroundings

The festival is a great opportunity to discover this corner of Irpinia, on the border between the provinces of Avellino and Benevento. The territory of Pietradefusi preserves the Aragonese Tower from 1431 and the Church of Maria SS. Annunziata, built in 1728, while all around lie the vineyards that produce some of Campania's most renowned wines. Also in Pietradefusi, in August, the Sagra del Fusillo e della Braciola Pietrafusana takes place.