Madonna delle Grazie Festival (with Fusillo Festival, Cecatielli and Fasùli Festival, and Pork Festival)

A community celebration in the Sabato Valley

In Aiello del Sabato, a town of about four thousand residents in the province of Avellino, in the heart of Irpinia and inland Campania, the Madonna delle Grazie Festival is one of the most anticipated summer events. For a few days, the town changes its pace: religious services alternate with musical evenings, and the Viale Unità d'Italia square, in front of the Maria Teresa di Calcutta Social Center, becomes the hub of community life. It is a festival that blends two souls—the devotional and the convivial—as is common in many villages of the Sabato Valley.

The religious heart: triduum, solemn Mass, and procession

The calendar begins with the preparatory triduum: every evening, there is a Mass and a moment of prayer to the Madonna delle Grazie, with the participation of faithful arriving from neighboring towns. The final day is the most intense. Early in the morning, the marching band travels through the town streets, waking the village with traditional marches; in the mid-morning, a solemn outdoor Holy Mass is celebrated, which in past editions has been held on Viale della Vittoria to accommodate the entire community.

In the late afternoon, the procession of the statue of the Madonna delle Grazie begins, carried on a flower-decked float through the streets of Aiello del Sabato. It is the most heartfelt moment of the year: windows are adorned with drapes, the faithful follow on foot in silence, and the band accompanies the pageant from street to street.

The Flight of the Angels and the fireworks display

At the end of the procession, the Flight of the Angels takes place, the most spectacular scene of the festival: children dressed as angels are lifted above the crowd and recite verses before the image of the Virgin. Immediately after, the sky lights up with a fireworks display, which concludes the solemn part of the celebrations and kicks off the evening's festivities.

The food festivals: fusilli, cecatielli and fasùli, pork

Alongside the devotion, the Aiello del Sabato festival is known for the food festivals that accompany every evening, set up in the spaces of Viale Unità d'Italia. The repertoire is that of traditional Irpinian peasant cuisine, made of hand-rolled pasta and bold flavors:

• Fusillo Festival — fusilli worked one by one with a metal rod and served with traditional ragù;
• Cecatielli and Fasùli Festival — homemade short pasta served with beans, a humble and iconic dish of the Sabato Valley;
• Pork Festival — grilled meat and cured meats, the stars of the final evening;
• Irpinian wine and homemade desserts to complete the tastings.

Portions are collected directly at the stands managed by the committee volunteers: it is the classic formula of Irpinian patronal festivals, where the proceeds help support the costs of the following year's celebrations.

Music and evenings in the square

After the food festivals, the music plays until late. Over the years, local groups, cover bands, and Irpinian musical projects have taken to the stage, with a program that mixes folk music, Neapolitan songs, and more contemporary offerings. However, the marching band remains the most recognizable sonic signature: its morning tour through the streets is, for many locals, the true signal that the festival has begun.

Aiello del Sabato and the Irpinia to discover

Aiello del Sabato is located a few kilometers from Avellino, along the Sabato river valley, amidst cultivated hills and hazelnut groves. It is a great starting point for discovering the food and wine of Irpinia, a land of great wines and simple, generous mountain cuisine. Those who arrive for the festival find a town that opens its doors willingly: illuminated squares, outdoor tables, and that sense of intimacy among neighbors that is still intact in the villages of inland Campania.

What to expect for the 2026 edition

As of the writing of this guide, the official dates for the 2026 edition have not yet been released by the organizers. The festival traditionally takes place in the first few days of July, near the feast day of the Madonna delle Grazie, over a long weekend. To find out the final program, it is best to follow the channels of the Madonna delle Grazie Festival Committee of Aiello del Sabato and the announcements from the Municipality, which usually publish the poster a few weeks before the event.