Illumina la Notte in Pannarano

Christmas lights up the squares

There are places where Christmas is not announced by electric lights, but by the scent of burning wood. Pannarano, a village of eighteen hundred souls perched at about 370 meters above sea level in the province of Benevento, at the entrance to the Valle Caudina, belongs to this category. Here, the most anticipated moment of the year arrives on December 24th, when the Catuozzi are lit in the town squares and the community gathers around the fire while waiting for midnight mass.

What are the Catuozzi?

The Catuozzi are large wood pyres: tall stacks built by the residents throughout the day on December 24th and then set on fire before the Christmas Eve religious services. This is not merely a decorative fire, but a community ritual: some bring the wood, others stack it, and many stay to watch the flames rise while the bells ring for the vigil. In Pannarano, the lighting traditionally takes place in Piazza Menichini and Piazza D'Alessio, providing the town with two fires and two gathering points. It is a tradition shared across the entire Valle Caudina: in nearby San Martino Valle Caudina, the Catuozzi have been recognized as intangible heritage by the Campania Region, a testament to the deep identity value this ancient gesture holds.

"Illumina la Notte": one festival, six towns

The Christmas Eve fire is the heart of a broader program. "Illumina la Notte" was born in 2008 and has now surpassed its eighteenth edition: it is a Christmas festival built as a network by several towns in the Valle Caudina — with San Martino Valle Caudina as the lead, alongside Pannarano, Rotondi, Roccabascerana, Cervinara, Montesarchio, and, in more recent editions, Paolisi — with financial support from the Campania Region as part of its tourism promotion programs. The calendar traditionally runs from December 8th to Epiphany, featuring fires, nativity scenes, concerts, and town festivals, moving from one village to another.

The living nativity scene in the historic center

In Pannarano, the moment preceding the Catuozzi is the living nativity scene, set up in the narrow streets and corners of the historic center and brought to life by residents who dress as ancient tradespeople and Nativity figures. It is best visited in the late afternoon, when the light fades and the village becomes a natural stage: a short, well-curated route that is also perfect for children.

Concerts, street performers, and the Befana

The Pannarano program has offered a recognizable mix of music and entertainment over the years. In the church of San Giovanni Battista — dedicated to the town's patron saint, celebrated on June 24th — chamber music concerts have been held, such as those by the Ensemble Alterarmonico, as well as Christmas concerts with the Orchestra Città Caudina featuring works by Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, and film scores. In the days around December 25th, the streets of the center welcome street performers and traveling shows for families; there is no shortage of Santa Claus arriving in schools and on the streets, the New Year's Eve tombola, and, on January 6th, the Befana distributing sweets to children. The atmosphere is the same in the other towns of the network: in Rotondi, the "Ciuccio di Fuoco" is lit, in Montesarchio there are gospel concerts, and in San Martino Valle Caudina, one can visit the "Presepe nel Presepe" built by the local Pro Loco workshop.

Why it's worth the trip

• An authentic ritual: the Catuozzi are not a tourist reconstruction but a living custom, managed by the town itself.
• Family atmosphere: events on a village scale, where it is easy to chat with the locals.
• A possible itinerary: the proximity between the towns of the Valle Caudina allows you to attend multiple events in the same period.
• The context: Pannarano is land of Aglianico wine and "Santo manco" variety chestnuts, great reasons to sit down for a meal.

Pannarano, between Sannio and Valle Caudina

The municipality spans just under twelve square kilometers and includes nine hamlets scattered across the slopes of the Partenio mountains: a small geography that explains why the festivals here still retain a neighborhood character. We are in the Sannio Beneventano, in Campania, a short distance from Benevento and in a convenient position even for those arriving from the Naples area. Those visiting Pannarano in winter will find a quiet and scenic village, which for a few days a year fills with fire, music, and voices.