Lettere Wine & Jazz

Wine, jazz, and medieval stone on the Monti Lattari

Lettere Wine and Jazz is the food, wine, and music festival that brings the Medieval Castle of Lettere, in the municipality of Lettere, province of Naples, to life every autumn. For three days, the fortress, which overlooks the valley and the Vesuvian plain, fills with tasting stalls, jazz notes, and visitors from all over Campania. The formula is simple and successful: local wine as the common thread, live music as the soundtrack, and historical heritage as the natural stage.

The DOC wine of Lettere, the absolute star

The heart of the festival is the sparkling DOC Penisola Sorrentina Lettere subzone wine, a lively, slightly effervescent red produced on the terraces of the Monti Lattari. During the festival evenings, it is tasted alongside local products: Monti Lattari fiordilatte, cured meats, bread, and traditional dishes from Lettere. Tastings are curated in collaboration with local producers and, in some editions, with the contribution of AIS Campania sommeliers. Here, wine is not just an agricultural product: it has been an element of the community's identity for centuries, and the event was created specifically to restore its visibility.

Jazz and the famous sunrise concert

The musical program is entrusted to the collaboration with the Centro Studi Mousikè association: evening concerts in the castle's Odeon area, youth brass and percussion ensembles, local school bands, and itinerant music among the ancient walls. However, the most anticipated event is the sunrise concert on Sunday morning: as the sun rises over the gulf, the castle courtyard hosts a jazz and bossa nova set for an audience that climbs up while it is still dark. This is the moment that has given the festival its fame far beyond the municipal borders.

Guided tours, show cooking, and grape stomping

Alongside the concerts, the program offers a series of activities each year that tell the story of the territory:

• Guided tours of the Medieval Castle, the village of San Nicola, historical churches, and Lettere vineyards;
• Excursions to the Grotte di San Benedetto, in the heart of the Monti Lattari Regional Park;
• Show cooking dedicated to Lettere fiordilatte and traditional recipes;
• Grape stomping in the vat, a convivial ritual that closes the evenings;
• Sunday lunch in the village, with a traditional Lettere menu served among the alleys.

The Medieval Castle of Lettere

The castle stands at about 340 meters above sea level on the hill of San Nicola. Its origins date back to the 10th century, likely built under Manso I of Amalfi as a defensive outpost of the Duchy of Amalfi towards the Gulf of Naples; it was later expanded in the Norman, Swabian, Angevin, and Aragonese eras. After centuries of abandonment, it was restored between the late 20th and early 21st centuries and is now open to visitors, featuring a small archaeological museum. It is hard to imagine a more suitable setting for a wine festival.

A festival born from the community

Lettere Wine and Jazz is organized by the local Pro Loco together with the municipal administration and the Centro Studi Mousikè association, with the patronage of the Campania Region and the Metropolitan City of Naples. The event carries on the legacy of the historic Wine Festival of the Castle of Lettere and reached its seventh edition in 2025. The organizers' stated goal is to make wine and culture a lever for community development in a corner of Campania less traveled than the nearby coast.

When it takes place and how to experience it

The event is traditionally held between the end of summer and autumn: in September in the early editions, and on the first weekend of October in 2025. Entrance to the festival area is free; only some activities, such as the Sunday lunch in the village, require payment and reservations. Those who arrive early can combine a visit to the castle with a walk in the historic center of Lettere and, for those with more time, an excursion on the trails of the Monti Lattari: from the top, the view reaches as far as Vesuvius and the Sorrento Peninsula.