Il Pasto della Salamandra Festival

A festival created to revitalize the village

Il Pasto della Salamandra was born in 2006 in Grottolella, a small town in the Province of Avellino, Campania, with a clear goal: to bring life back to the alleys of the historic center, which had been progressively emptied in the years following the earthquake. Since then, the event has grown to become the most anticipated appointment of the Irpinian summer, capable of attracting tens of thousands of visitors to the village over three evenings.

The name: the salamander, the «fire fairy»

The festival's title refers to the salamander, the animal that popular tradition called the «fire fairy» because it was believed to be able to walk through flames without burning. Local memory links the event to the ancient «Festival of the Fire Fairies», revived in the 19th century by the Macedonio family when they regained possession of the town's salt pans, and to the presence of French soldiers quartered at the beginning of the century in the Tropeani district, whose inhabitants have since been nicknamed «the French». From that episode also derives the Merenda del Francese (The Frenchman's Snack), a simple flatbread that remains one of the festival's gastronomic symbols. At the heart of it all, however, remains a peasant gesture: the meal with which, once the harvest was finished, landowners thanked those who had worked the land.

Three evenings of street art, music, and entertainment

For three consecutive evenings, usually in the first half of September, the streets and squares of the village — with Piazza Municipio as the heart of the event — become a widespread stage. The program changes every year, but the structure is now well-established:

• live concerts and DJ sets that animate the village until late at night;
• street performers, jugglers, and fire-eaters in the alleys;
• shows, workshops, and games designed for children and families;
• exhibitions, craft stalls, and lighting installations along the route;
• food and wine stands distributed in the small squares and courtyards.

Each edition is built around a theme chosen by the Youth Forum: «Stay!» in 2023, «Traditional Intelligence» in 2024, an invitation to read tradition as a resource rather than nostalgia. Over the years, the festival's stages have hosted well-known names from the Campanian and Italian scenes — from 99 Posse to Foja, from Rione Junno to the pizzica of Alla Bua — alongside local bands, DJs, and companies.

The table of Irpinia

The gastronomic aspect is not a side dish: it is half the festival. The stalls showcase the peasant cuisine of the Partenio and Irpinia regions, with traditional dishes, local products, and wines from a territory that is home to three of the most famous denominations in the South: Taurasi, Fiano di Avellino, and Greco di Tufo. In past editions, tastings have also taken place in the courtyard of the Castello Carafa-Caracciolo, one of the most evocative corners of the town.

An event made by young people

Il Pasto della Salamandra is organized by the Grottolella Youth Forum with the patronage of the Municipality: it is the local young people who choose the theme, build the lineup, set up the installations, and manage the stalls. It is this voluntary and community dimension that gives the festival its character: no top-down showcase, but a collective effort involving families, associations, and local businesses for an entire summer.

Grottolella, at the gates of the Partenio

Grottolella is located a few kilometers north of Avellino, on the hills preceding the Partenio massif. The historic center, compact and entirely walkable, with its arches, stairways, and sudden open spaces, is the true scenery of the event: on the evenings of Il Pasto della Salamandra, the town lights up and the boundary between performance and community life practically disappears.