Historical Pacchianelle Parade

A living nativity scene walking through Vico Equense

The Historical Pacchianelle Parade is the signature event of Vico Equense, a town in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, overlooking the gulf at the gateway to the Sorrento Peninsula. Every year on January 6th, the day of the Epiphany, the hillside districts of the municipality descend toward the center to bring a true traveling nativity scene to life: hundreds of participants in costumes inspired by the 18th-century Neapolitan nativity scene cross streets and squares, carrying baskets filled with fruit, vegetables, cheeses, and local delicacies.

Origins: from 1909 to today

The tradition began in 1909 at the initiative of Friar Pasquale Somma, a religious member of the Minim Fathers of San Vito, who wanted to give a choral form to the popular devotion toward the Baby Jesus. Since then, the parade has been repeated from generation to generation, handed down from parents to children, reaching over one hundred editions: in January 2026, the 115th edition was celebrated. In 2020, the event was inscribed in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Campania Region (IPIC), a recognition that certifies its anthropological value and historical continuity.

Who are the pacchianelle?

In the local Campanian dialect, a «pacchiana» is a country woman in festive attire: wide skirts, a bodice, an embroidered apron, and a handkerchief knotted on her head. Over time, a procession has been built around this figure that reproduces, character by character, the scene of the Neapolitan nativity.

• Pacchiane, pacchianelle, and pacchianelli: women, girls, and boys in traditional costumes, the visual heart of the parade;
• Shepherds and farmers: men and boys in raw wool clothing, cloaks, and wicker baskets;
• Zampognari and ciaramellari: musicians who accompany the walk with traditional Christmas carols;
• Angels and the Three Wise Men: who symbolically close the story of the adoration;
• Farm and grazing animals: goats, sheep, and donkeys, an integral part of the nativity scene.

The costumes are created by Concetta Caccioppoli under the artistic direction of Luigi Savarese, with direct references to Italian painting and the 18th-century Neapolitan nativity iconography. These are not simple costumes: each garment is tailored and carefully preserved from one year to the next, often within the same family.

The route, step by step

The procession sets off in the early afternoon from the San Vito convent, in the hillside village of the same name, and descends along via Le Pietre toward the heart of the city. The most awaited stop is Piazza Umberto I, where the blessing with the Baby Jesus takes place before the crowd; the route then continues toward the small park with the monument to Saint Francis of Paola, where the symbolism of the adoration of the Magi is re-enacted, before returning to the convent. For the occasion, the Municipality implements specific traffic regulations along the affected streets every year.

The atmosphere

What strikes those witnessing it for the first time is the silence, broken only by the sound of bagpipes and the slow pace of the procession. There are no stages or sound systems: the event thrives on the direct connection between the participants and the people watching from balconies, windows, and sidewalks. It is a deeply communal celebration, in which the entire town — from the hillside districts of Massaquano, Moiano, and Ticciano down to the center — recognizes and tells its own story.

Vico Equense and the Sorrento Peninsula

Vico Equense is known for its gastronomic tradition — the meter-long pizza, local cheeses, and inland cured meats — and for its privileged position between the sea and the Lattari Mountains. Visiting the city on the day of the Pacchianelle means combining popular tradition with a stroll through the historic center, with the Church of the Santissima Annunziata perched over the gulf and views toward Naples and Mount Vesuvius. The parade officially closes the Christmas holidays and opens the new year with a gesture of continuity that has lasted for over a century.