Matese & Climate Change
Two days of scientific research, environmental awareness, and hiking in the heart of the Matese
About Matese & Climate Change
When science hits the streets (and then heads for the mountains)
Matese & Climate Change is an annual event hosted in Piedimonte Matese, in the Province of Caserta, at the foot of the massif that gives the event its name. The formula is simple and effective: a first day of public meetings in the Villa Comunale and the San Tommaso d'Aquino Diocesan Library, followed by a second day of hiking on the Matese trails. The result is an event that doesn't just talk about the environment, but immerses participants in the very landscape being discussed.
A project by the Fondazione San Bonaventura
The initiative is promoted by the Fondazione San Bonaventura in partnership with the San Tommaso d'Aquino Diocesan Library of the Diocese of Alife-Caiazzo and the Municipality of Piedimonte Matese, with the involvement of the Matese National Park and a network of local associations. The first edition dates back to 2023; in 2024, the event expanded to the municipalities of Valle Agricola, Castello del Matese, and San Potito Sannitico, while from 2025 the focus has returned permanently to Piedimonte Matese. Each year, the event chooses a central theme: the water resources of the Matese in 2025, and paths and trails as a key to understanding the territory in 2026.
The formula: roundtables, workshops, and performances
The program alternates between different formats, which is its greatest strength. Alongside roundtables that bring together university professors, researchers, administrators, environmental guides, and activists, the event features:
- educational workshops for children and teenagers, curated by young research groups such as the PONYS (Physics and Optics Naples Young Students);
- presentations of educational projects carried out throughout the year with local schools in the Matese area;
- photo exhibitions and contests dedicated to capturing climate change through images;
- performance-lectures and theatrical moments that translate scientific data into storytelling;
- information stands from environmental and charitable associations supporting the organization.
The day on the trails
The second day is the most characteristic: the event moves to higher altitudes, towards the Lago del Matese and the massif's trails, with guided hikes open to everyone and led by local environmental hiking guides. Upon returning, a tasting of local products curated by Slow Food Matese completes the experience: food as the final link in the chain connecting climate, soil, and community.
Why the Matese?
The Matese massif, straddling Campania and Molise, is a privileged vantage point for observing the changes currently affecting the Southern Apennines: decreasing snowfall, shifting spring regimes, hydrogeological instability, and the depopulation of inland areas. Bringing the debate here means moving away from abstraction and discussing what is happening just a few hundred meters from the conference hall. This is also why the event brings together the academic world, public bodies, and associations: research provides objectivity and rigor, local actors provide daily experience, and activists act as sentinels.
Who is it for?
Matese & Climate Change is designed for a broad audience: families and school groups for the workshops, hiking enthusiasts for the mountain day, and students and the curious for the roundtables. Those visiting the Alto Casertano area can combine their participation with exploring the historic center of Piedimonte Matese, its convent heritage, and the Torano gorges, in one of the least-traveled and most authentic parts of inland Campania.
Matese & Climate Change — edition 2026
Matese & Climate Change 2026 — 4th Edition
The 2026 edition of Matese & Climate Change, promoted by the Fondazione San Bonaventura with the San Tommaso d'Aquino Diocesan Library and the Municipality of Piedimonte Matese, was held on Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14, 2026. The chosen theme — Exploring places, caring for the territory, protecting the environment — focused on paths and trails as a tool for understanding and caring for the Matese landscape. The symbol of this edition was Monte Raspato, the destination of the final hike.
There were two venues: the Villa Comunale of Piedimonte Matese for Saturday's events, featuring roundtables, workshops, a photo exhibition, and partner association stands; and the Lago del Matese, at the Scarponi del Matese holiday home, for Sunday's trekking and tasting. The organizers reported one of the most well-attended editions ever.
Programme Matese & Climate Change 2026
Saturday, June 13, 2026 — Villa Comunale, Piedimonte Matese
- 9:30 AM — Opening and presentation of the event
- 10:00 AM — Microcosm Table: "The Last of Us Reload: fungi and bacteria, nightmare or scientific wonder?", with researchers in microbiology and organic chemistry from the University of Foggia and the University of Naples Federico II
- 11:00 AM — Educational workshops by PONYS (Physics and Optics Naples Young Students), for children and teenagers aged 10 and up
- 12:00 PM — Presentation of educational projects carried out with local schools: IC Matese, "Galileo Galilei" High School, ISISS of Piedimonte Matese, ITA "A.S. Coppola", ITI "G. Caso"
- All day — Photo exhibition Witnessing climate change and its impact and information stands of partner associations
- 6:00 PM — Institutional greetings
- 6:30 PM — Macrocosm Table: "Traces in Time: how trails tell history and shape the future", with Luigi Arrigo, Giovanni Germano, and Paolo Piacentini
- Following — Global Problem, a performance-lecture by physicist and science communicator Federico Benuzzi on climate change
Sunday, June 14, 2026 — Lago del Matese (Scarponi del Matese)
- 9:30 AM — Welcome of participants
- 10:00 AM — Guided trek on the Monte Raspato trails, open to all, with Matese Adventures, Matese Nostrum, and Matese environmental hiking guides
- 1:00 PM — Return, sustainable packed lunch, and bio-aperitif curated by the Slow Food Matese branch, on the occasion of Slow Food Day
- 4:00 PM — Greetings and closing of the event
Highlights Matese & Climate Change 2026
Among the most popular moments of the 2026 edition: the performance-lecture Global Problem by Federico Benuzzi, which translated climate crisis data into a theatrical language; the Traces in Time table with Paolo Piacentini on the cultural value of paths; the PONYS workshops for young people; and the Sunday hike on Monte Raspato, concluded by a tasting of local products with Slow Food Matese. Partners of the edition also included the Matese National Park and Amnesty International.
Prices Matese & Climate Change 2026
Practical information — Matese & Climate Change
Where
The first day takes place in Piedimonte Matese (Province of Caserta, Campania), between the Villa Comunale and the premises of the San Tommaso d'Aquino Diocesan Library. The second day is held at higher altitudes in the Lago del Matese area, departing from the Scarponi del Matese holiday home.
How to get there
By car: take the Caianello or Capua exit on the A1 Rome-Naples motorway, then follow state and provincial roads towards the Alto Casertano; from Naples and Caserta, travel up the Volturno valley. By train: the reference station is Piedimonte Matese, connected by regional bus lines; many visitors arrive by bus from Caserta and Benevento. For the day on the trails, it is necessary to travel by car to the Lago del Matese.
Tips
For trekking, hiking shoes, layered clothing, and water are required: the altitude exceeds 1,000 meters and the temperature can be significantly lower than in the town. The hikes are accompanied by environmental hiking guides, and it is advisable to notify the organizers of your participation in advance.
Admission
Conferences, workshops, and exhibitions take place in public spaces and are open to the public; a fee or reservation may be required for the hike and the tasting lunch. Exact conditions are communicated each year along with the program by the Fondazione San Bonaventura.
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Where does it take place — Matese & Climate Change
Villa Comunale di Piedimonte Matese