Le Notti dei Briganti

A brigand's camp overlooking the Gulf of Salerno

Le Notti dei Briganti is one of the most popular summer events in the Picentini Mountains. It takes place in Santa Tecla, a small village in the municipality of Montecorvino Pugliano, in the province of Salerno, overlooking the Gulf of Salerno and surrounded by olive groves and woodlands. For six consecutive nights in August, the village streets and squares become a large open-air camp, complete with food stalls, roaring fires, local product stands, and stages for traditional Campanian folk music.

Brigandage told by those who inherited its story

The event's core is not merely folkloric: the organizers aim to recount post-unification brigandage as a complex civil, social, and political conflict rather than simple criminal history. In the Picentini area, the memory is still vivid and tied to specific names. Among them are Antonino Maratea, known as Giardullo, a former Bourbon soldier who fought first against Garibaldi's troops and later against those he considered Piedmontese invaders, and Gaetano Manzo, famous for the sensational kidnapping of the Swiss industrialist Federico Wenner. The festival draws its inspiration from these stories, bringing them to life through storytelling, immersive sets, and nocturnal atmospheres.

The brigands' dishes

The culinary experience is the heart of the event. Around twenty stalls offer local peasant cuisine, with a selection of signature dishes each named after a historical brigand. Highlights from recent editions include:

• Fusilli rompicapo, dedicated to the brigand Cracco
• Gnocco sott e ngopp, dedicated to Gaetano Manzo
• Bufalata in memory of Cannalonga
• Grilled meat named after Ninco Nanco
• Arrosticini dedicated to the brigand Lupo
• Fried pizza in the name of Tranchella

Alongside the main courses, you will find porchetta sandwiches, fried delicacies, cured meats, and caciocavallo cheese, as well as traditional desserts: grandmother's tart, Neapolitan babà, Sicilian cannoli, and strawberry tart from Acerno. The association president, Vito Vivone, has often emphasized that the goal is to offer a curated gastronomic experience rooted in local products, far removed from the mass-produced food found at large fairs.

Folk music, pizzica, and tammorre

Every night, a different group enlivens the festival area. The repertoire focuses on Southern folk music: pizzica, taranta, tammorre, and drums, with occasional forays into more experimental sounds. In 2025, the lineup featured Le Sette Bocche, Piervito Grisù, Sibbenga Sumamu, Pietro Cirillo, and I Bottari di Macerata Campania, with a final night dedicated to 90s music. Stalls generally open at 7:00 PM, while musical performances start around 9:00 PM and continue late into the night.

A rapidly growing event

Born from an idea by the Le Notti dei Briganti Cultural Association and realized with the artistic coordination of Nicola Iannaco and the patronage of the Municipality of Montecorvino Pugliano, the Province of Salerno, and the Campania Region, the festival reached its fourth edition in 2025, attracting tens of thousands of visitors in just a few days. It is now a landmark event in the summer calendar of the Salerno hinterland, drawing visitors from across Campania.

Why it's worth the trip

Visitors to Santa Tecla find a rare combination: a serious historical narrative about a controversial chapter of the Risorgimento, authentic peasant cuisine served at affordable prices, and a musical program that celebrates Campanian sonic traditions. Admission is free, and the setting—a hillside village overlooking the sea—adds a value to the evening that no stage design could ever replicate.