Luglio Apertipico

An aperitif that tells the story of Irpinia

Luglio Apertipico is the summer event that turns a July evening into a journey of taste, exploring the identity of Volturara Irpina, a town in the province of Avellino, in Campania. The concept is as simple as it is effective: a large aperitif based on local, zero-kilometre products, set up in the square in front of the Viale Rimembranza elementary school and accompanied by live music. It is not a manufactured festival, but a community celebration born from the work of the Pro Loco of Volturara Irpina and the municipal administration, showcasing what the territory truly produces every year.

What to taste

The common thread is the short supply chain: only local excellence reaches your glass and plate, without intermediaries or exotic imports. Past editions have focused on:

• local cheeses, the result of a cheesemaking tradition still alive on the plateau;
• artisanal cured meats prepared according to family recipes;
• fine wines from Irpinia, one of the most acclaimed wine regions in the South;
• agricultural products from Volturara, starting with the famous fagiolo quarantino, a Slow Food Presidium that owes its name to the forty days required for maturation, and chestnuts from the surrounding woods.

The result is a widespread tasting experience enjoyed while standing, moving from one stall to another with the slow, chatty rhythm of a village aperitif.

Music, square, and atmosphere

Alongside the food stalls, there is always music: live guitars, saxophones, and melodies have provided the soundtrack for past editions, while in 2024, the evening extended with the Otrale Night dance event, featuring DJs Roberto Del Percio and Raffaele Colucci, with the municipal amphitheatre of Serrone doubling as a stage. It is the classic model of an Irpinian festival: it starts at aperitif time, around 7:00 PM, and ends when the square clears out.

Volturara Irpina and the Piana del Dragone

Visitors from outside discover a town of just over three thousand inhabitants perched at an altitude of 620 metres, overlooking one of the most unique basins in the Campanian Apennines: the Piana del Dragone, a karst plateau that legend says was freed by a three-headed dragon, whose sinkholes—the so-called dragon's mouths—still absorb the waters of the plain today. A context that explains well why the relationship between food, land, and folk tales is so closely intertwined here: the flavours of the aperitif come literally from those fields.

A piece of the Volturara Summer

Luglio Apertipico does not stand alone: it is one of the events of the Estate Volturarese (Volturara Summer), the calendar that the Municipality builds with the Pro Loco, associations, and festival committees, which in 2026 runs from June 4th to October 1st. In the same month of July, the Festa del Casaro (July 18-19) and the great Festa di Sant'Antonio di Padova (July 24-28) take place, while September features the Festa del Fagiolo Quarantino. Those planning a weekend in Irpinia can therefore fit multiple events into a few days, moving between food festivals, processions, and outdoor sporting events.

The 2026 edition: the fifth

The official calendar of the 2026 Estate Volturarese lists Luglio Apertipico among the most original events of the month and confirms it is the fifth edition, once again dedicated to the products and flavours of local tradition. However, the exact date has not been published along with the general programme: in previous years, the event fell around the middle of July (July 15th in 2023, July 13th in 2024 and 2025). It is therefore advisable to follow the Pro Loco channels for the announcement of the date and the final poster.