Inter-Municipal Carnival (Rofrano stage)

A carnival that travels from town to town

The Inter-Municipal Carnival is one of the most cherished events in the inner Cilento region, in the province of Salerno. It is not a single festival, but a caravan: the same allegorical floats, masked groups, and choreographies move from town to town over the course of two or three weekends, bringing a day of color to every village. The municipality of Rofrano is a regular stop on the circuit and hosts one of the most popular parades every year.

The concept is as simple as it is effective. On their own, towns with only a few hundred or thousand inhabitants would struggle to put together a carnival with real allegorical floats. Together, however, they manage to build an event that fills the streets and, stop after stop, attracts audiences from neighboring towns and the coast. It is a model of cooperation between communities that has become a benchmark in the Cilento region.

The Rofrano stage

In Rofrano, the parade winds along the town's main axis. In 2025, the procession started from Corso Prof. Tosone at 3:30 PM, crossed the town streets, and arrived at the Via Pastena parking lot, where the day ended with a final celebration. It is a short but intense route that effectively involves the whole town: windows overlook the procession, children follow the floats along the road, and the groups stop several times to perform their choreographies in front of the public.

The themes of the floats and masked groups range from local tradition to pure fantasy. Each group works for weeks on costumes, music, and sets, and the floats are handcrafted by volunteers in the town's garages and warehouses. There is nothing industrial about it: it is an artisanal, self-produced carnival that thrives on the time donated by the people.

The four competition categories

The Inter-Municipal Carnival is more than just a parade: the stages make up a true friendly competition between the groups, with prizes awarded at the end of the final event. There are four categories:

• Best allegorical float
• Best choreography
• Best mask
• Best masked group

The announcement of the winners closes the event and is held in the town hosting the grand finale: in 2026 it was Montano Antilia, while in the previous edition, the awards ceremony took place in Alfano, in Piazzetta Vito Battaglia.

An "out-of-season" carnival

In 2026, the event did not take place in the usual February period but in April, thus joining the calendar of out-of-season carnivals in the Cilento region, a well-established custom in this area of Campania. Moving the parades to late spring has more than one advantage: longer days, milder weather, and a greater chance of success for outdoor performances and the evening party in the square. It is also a way to extend the festival season and avoid overlapping with the major carnivals of the canonical period.

Who organizes it

The event is promoted by the Pro Loco associations of the involved towns — Pro Loco Rofrano, Pro Loco Alfano, and A.S.C. Pro Loco Laurito — with the patronage of their respective municipal administrations. In 2026, the caravan expanded: Montano Antilia, the site of the grand finale, was added to the historical stops, while Torre Orsaia participated as a guest community. Behind every edition lies a collective effort that lasts for months: building floats, sewing costumes, rehearsing choreographies, and managing permits and logistics for moving between towns.

Rofrano, a village in the inner Cilento

Rofrano is a small municipality in the province of Salerno, in Campania: just over 1,200 inhabitants spread over a large territory of about 63 square kilometers, at an altitude of about 450 meters. We are in the heart of the inner Cilento, the mountainous hinterland behind the Gulf of Policastro, an area of forests and perched villages where community life revolves around the square, patron saint festivals, and seasonal events. Here, the carnival is not a tourist event designed on paper: it is a moment of collective gathering, and it shows.

Why it is worth visiting

Those looking for the monumental scenery of the great Italian carnivals will find something different and, in many ways, more authentic in Rofrano. You are right in the middle of the groups, you recognize the faces of the townspeople under the masks, and you applaud floats that are the result of evenings of work by entire families. It is the perfect opportunity to discover the inner Cilento away from the most beaten tourist paths, during a day of celebration open to everyone and especially suitable for families with children.