Maria Santissima dell'Agnena Festival

The most anticipated festival in Vitulazio

In the calendar of the Municipality of Vitulazio, located in the Alto Casertano area of the province of Caserta (Campania), there is no event more cherished than the Maria Santissima dell'Agnena Festival. This is more than just a patronal feast: it is the week when the entire town reconnects, schools remain closed, and homes open their doors to relatives returning from afar, while every street transforms into a path of illuminated arches. The celebration falls during the so-called Settimana in Albis, the week immediately following Easter, and culminates on the Sunday of the Octave.

Origins and the Mother Church

The origins of this devotion are lost in time, shrouded in legends passed down from generation to generation. The cult centers on the parish church of Santa Maria dell'Agnena, built at the highest point of the town between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It features a Latin cross plan, stucco decorations, and a rich collection of paintings and sculptures from the 18th and 19th centuries. It is here that the effigy of the Virgin and Child is kept and venerated throughout the year, awaiting the days of April.

The Centenary of the Coronation, 1926-2026

On April 11, 1926, a Sunday in Albis, the Madonna and Child were crowned for the first time with golden crowns, following authorization granted by the Chapter of St. Peter in the Vatican on February 21 of that same year. A century later, in 2026, Vitulazio celebrated an extraordinary edition. Starting in September 2025, the Festival Committee, in agreement with the parish priest Father Valerio Lucca, marked the path toward the anniversary with an event on the 11th of every month, the presentation of a dedicated logo designed by local architect Gianluca Di Lillo, and the cultural project Civitas Mariae.

Bands, 'carristi', and fireworks

The structure of the festival remains faithful to the popular Campanian tradition and is defined by several essential elements:

• The portraits of the Virgin, placed at the main entrances of the town to symbolically mark the boundaries of the festival days.
• The illuminations, with arches running along the town streets, completely redesigning its nocturnal profile.
• The grand brass band concerts, with ensembles invited from all over Southern Italy performing on the bandstand: the soundtrack of the festival, highly followed by enthusiasts.
• The procession, with the statue carried on the shoulders of the carristi through all the streets of the town.
• The pyrotechnic shows, including daytime batteries, paper bombs, and evening pyromusical displays entrusted to some of the most renowned firms in Southern Italy: a tradition that the municipal administration has chosen to explicitly protect.

The rhythm of the days

The Thursday after Easter opens the festivities, carrying the Virgin through the streets amidst paper fireworks and applause. On Saturday, the community gathers in the church, while in the evening, the square lights up with the first fireworks. On the Sunday in Albis, at seven in the morning, the bells announce that the most beautiful day of the year has finally arrived: from that moment, masses, a solemn procession, concerts, and fireworks follow one another, until the Sunday of the Octave, which closes the cycle with a thanksgiving procession.

Vitulazio and its territory

Vitulazio rises in the Volturno plain, a few kilometers from Capua and Santa Maria Capua Vetere, and a short distance from the provincial capital, Caserta. Visitors arriving for the festival can easily combine their trip with an itinerary of ancient Capua and its monuments, in an area of Campania where spring patronal festivals still strongly define community life.

Tips for your visit

The peak days are the Sunday in Albis and the Sunday of the Octave: it is advisable to arrive early, as the town center is closed to traffic and parking in the surrounding streets fills up quickly. The pyrotechnic events, much loved by enthusiasts, are concentrated between late afternoon and night. Part of the program is traditionally broadcast live by local stations, but the festival should be experienced on the streets, together with the locals.