Luglio Sammaritano

A full month of festivities in the Sarno Valley

The Luglio Sammaritano is not just a single evening or a weekend event: it is an entire month of appointments that accompanies Santa Maria la Carità, a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, from late June to mid-July. Promoted by the Pro Loco Association of Santa Maria la Carità APS, the festival reached its 30th edition in 2026, a milestone that places it among the longest-running popular events in the Vesuvius-Stabiae area.

The formula is the typical Campanian one, blending everything together: devotion, inter-district games, historical re-enactments, live music, and dining. For weeks, the town center changes its face with traditional markets, street artists, costume parades, and food stalls that bring Piazza Ernesto Borrelli, the beating heart of the event, to life.

The five districts and the Tournament

The common thread of the entire festival is the District Tournament, the challenge that divides the town into five historic districts: Aquila, Delfino, Farfalla, Ippocampo, and Leone. Each district has its own colors, supporters, and champions, competing for the title in a series of trials held throughout the weeks of the event. It is a deeply felt competition that engages entire families and, as the organizers themselves say, reignites the spirit of ancient neighborhood rivalries.

The Donkey Palio and the medieval historical pageant

The most anticipated event, which has made the Luglio Sammaritano known far beyond the municipal borders, is the Donkey Palio. Jockeys, riding their donkeys, launch into a race that is as unpredictable as it is spectacular through the town center, while the districts face off from improvised stands along the route. The race is preceded by the medieval historical pageant, with costumed participants, flag-wavers, drummers, and ladies parading through the streets: for one evening, Santa Maria la Carità truly becomes a medieval village.

The Eggplant Festival

The most famous gastronomic chapter of the festival is the Eggplant Festival, which closes the calendar and attracts thousands of visitors every year. The absolute star is one of the iconic vegetables of Southern cuisine, interpreted in dozens of recipes thanks to the experience of local housewives and restaurateurs: from appetizers to first courses, moving through main courses, side dishes, and even desserts. A tasting journey that perfectly illustrates the agricultural vocation of this fertile portion of the Sarno Valley.

Music, young talent, and lottery

• Evening shows and concerts in the square, featuring local bands and artists
• The Dreamers… Talent Lab, the showcase for young local talent, a historic appointment of the festival
• Traditional markets and local crafts along the streets of the center
• Religious events and community moments, which remain the original fabric of the festival
• The «Luglio Ti Premia» lottery, with a final draw and thousands of tickets distributed in town

Where is Santa Maria la Carità

Santa Maria la Carità is a town of just over eleven thousand inhabitants in Campania, about twenty-five kilometers southeast of Naples, nestled in the Stabiae-Vesuvius plain along the Sarno Valley. It enjoys a privileged position: from here, you can reach the Pompeii excavations, Castellammare di Stabia, and the entrance to the Sorrentine Peninsula in just a few minutes. Those arriving for the Luglio Sammaritano can therefore easily combine the town festival with a day of archaeology or a trip to the sea.

Why it's worth it

The Luglio Sammaritano is one of those events that are not created for tourism but, precisely for this reason, provide an authentic image of the Neapolitan province: the good-natured rivalry between districts, donkeys running between two wings of the crowd, the scent of fried eggplant, and homemade medieval costumes. A different and very sincere way to discover the lesser-known Campania, the one that gathers in the square every evening during the summer.