Living Via Crucis of Spinazzo

A tradition the village has cherished for decades

The Living Via Crucis of Spinazzo is one of the most heartfelt events of the Easter season in the territory of Capaccio Paestum, in the province of Salerno, in the heart of the Cilento Campania. It is organized by the La Rinascita association, a group with over thirty-five years of history and a long-standing point of reference for the hamlet, presided over by Matteo De Santis. Every year, the performance draws a large audience to the square of Spinazzo, including visitors from neighboring towns in the plains and the Cilento area.

This is not a show put on by professionals: the strength of the evening lies in the fact that the protagonists are the village residents themselves. Over fifty performers—entire families, young people, the elderly, and children from Spinazzo—don the clothes of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from two thousand years ago and guide spectators through the story of the Passion. It is a collective effort that occupies the community for weeks, involving rehearsals, costumes, and sets built in the open spaces of the hamlet.

How the performance unfolds

The sacred representation takes place in the evening, usually starting around 7:30 PM, as light fades over the village and the scenes benefit from the effect of torches and stage lighting. The stage is the hamlet itself: the square of Spinazzo and, in some editions, the garden adjacent to the Church of Sant'Antonio da Padova, used as a natural backdrop for the main scenes.

The roles assigned to the performers cover the entire arc of the Gospel story, from the trial to the crucifixion:

• Jesus, Mary, John, and Mary Magdalene, the emotional heart of the performance;
• Pontius Pilate and Barabbas, during the trial scene;
• the apostles, soldiers, thieves, and the pious women;
• the narrators, who guide the audience from one scene to the next, accompanied by stage music.

The result is more of a popular liturgy than a theatrical play: the silence of the audience, the movement of the performers among the houses, and the participation of the parish—with the presence of Father Antonio Capuano—give the evening a solemn tone, which in Cilento unites the Via Crucis of Spinazzo with those of other villages in the province of Salerno.

The edition dedicated to Noah

The edition held in April 2026, initially postponed due to bad weather, was dedicated to the memory of Noah, a young man from Spinazzo who passed away the previous January. His memory became the common thread of the evening, transforming the ritual into a moment of collective emotion and an invitation to reflect on the fragility of life. The main roles were played by Angelo Mazzillo (Jesus), Carmela Tedesco (Mary), and Paolo Di Buono (John), with the staging coordinated by Angelo Picariello and the presence of Mayor Gaetano Paolino alongside the community.

Spinazzo, Capaccio Paestum, and the Cilento

Spinazzo is an agricultural hamlet in the Municipality of Capaccio Paestum, just a few kilometers from the archaeological area of Paestum and its Greek temples, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in a plain known for buffalo farming and the famous Mozzarella di Bufala Campana. It is a rural context that explains the character of the event: here, the Via Crucis is not a tourist product, but an identity-defining appointment that brings together the generations of the hamlet and involves local farms and cooperatives in supporting the organization.

For those visiting the Cilento in spring, attending the performance means seeing a living popular tradition up close, very different from large-scale productions: no tickets, no grandstands, just a village telling its own story for one night.

The rest of the year with La Rinascita

The association's activities do not end with Holy Week. The hamlet's calendar also includes celebrations for Saint Anthony and the food and wine event Radici e Sapori (Roots and Flavors), which in 2026 was held from July 2nd to 4th in Spinazzo. Those who wish to get to know the community in another guise—the convivial and gastronomic one—will find these events to be the natural completion of the experience.