Le Notti delle Campanelle and the 'O Fucarone 'e Sant'Antuono

The fire of Saint Anthony in Caliano di Montoro

Every January, the village of Caliano, in Montoro, Avellino province, gathers around a massive bonfire: this is the 'o fucarone 'e Sant'Antuono, a pyre lit in honor of Saint Anthony Abbot, the community's patron saint and, in popular devotion, the protector of fire and animals. Over the years, the festival known today as Le Notti delle Campanelle has grown around this fire: days where the liturgy of the patronal feast, peasant cuisine, and folk music blend in the streets of this Irpinian village.

The event is promoted by the Caliano community through the La Fiamma di Sant'Antonio Abate association and the Santi Eustachio e Antonio Abate parish committee, with the patronage of the Municipality of Montoro. In Campania, and particularly in Irpinia, January is traditionally the month of bonfires: dozens of towns light their own fires between the beginning and the end of the month, and the one in Caliano is among the most popular in the area.

The bells, the saint's staff, and holy water

The festival's name comes from a detail in the iconography of Saint Anthony Abbot: the small bell (campanella) tied to the hermit saint's staff. In Caliano, these bells are more than just an ornament; they are offered to the faithful along with holy water in a gesture that unites religious devotion with peasant ritual. It is the distinctive sign that gives the event its title and sets it apart from other fires lit in the valley.

The religious calendar remains the heart of the celebration. The day of January 17th, the feast of Saint Anthony Abbot, traditionally includes a band parade through the village streets, the blessing of the animals, a solemn Eucharistic celebration, and the procession with the saint's effigy, before the bonfire is lit at nightfall and the food stalls open.

The gastronomic route: farm-to-table Montoro cuisine

Immediately after the fire is lit, the gastronomic route opens, set up entirely indoors—a non-trivial detail given the season. The stalls offer traditional Montoro dishes prepared with local, zero-kilometer ingredients, accompanied by local wine. Specialties found along the route include:

• Rapini and potatoes served with pizza di granone, the corn bread of peasant cuisine;
• Patane sott'a cener, potatoes cooked under the hearth ashes;
• Sandwiches with sausage and cotechino, porchetta, and mortadella;
• Mallone, meatballs, and corn pizza, featured in previous editions.

This is not a festival centered on a single product, but a culinary journey: you move from stall to stall, tasting, chatting, and enjoying a family-friendly atmosphere.

Folk music, Maschere Montesi, and street performers

The soundtrack of the festival is the folk music of Southern Italy, performed by local groups and guests from other parts of Campania and Puglia. Recent editions have featured the Kalimma, the Salento-based Calanti, La Paranza della Madonna dei Bagni, the Cantatiemp, and the Bottari di Macerata with their rhythmic percussion on barrels, vats, and scythes.

Alongside the concerts, the Maschere Montesi—the traditional masked figures of Montoro—parade through the streets, accompanied by street performers. The evenings often conclude with a DJ set, allowing the younger crowd to stay late into the night by the embers of the fucarone.

When to go and what to expect

Le Notti delle Campanelle takes place around January 17th, usually occupying a weekend, with a program running from late afternoon into the night, and stalls opening at noon on Sunday. Visitors should be prepared for the cold Irpinian winter: while the food route is covered, the bonfire is experienced outdoors, standing, together with the entire village.

It is a festival to be enjoyed without haste, suitable for families, where the added value is not a big-name headliner but the collective participation of an entire town. For those visiting Campania in winter, when the coast is far from the tourist season, it represents one of the most authentic ways to connect with the popular culture of the hinterland.