Misericordia and Fratres Festival
The Paternopoli volunteers' festival: Mater Misericordiae, blood donation, food stalls, and folk music in Irpinia
About Misericordia and Fratres Festival
A festival born from volunteer work
Some village festivals are born from a sanctuary, others from a local product. The Misericordia and Fratres Festival in Paternopoli, in the heart of Irpinia, was born from two volunteer associations: the Misericordia Confraternity, founded in 1992 on the initiative of local citizens led by the priest at the time, Remo Sirignano, and the «Luigia Sandoli» Fratres Blood Donor Group, active since 1996 and hosted in the same headquarters on Via Parco Capuani.
The religious core of the event is the celebration in honor of the Mater Misericordiae, which traditionally falls on the first Saturday of July and is the most heartfelt anniversary for the Confraternity: during the mass, deserving volunteers can request, through the spiritual advisor and the parish priest of the «San Nicola di Bari» parish, to wear the historic sacred vestments of the Misericordia. This is followed by a solemn procession and civil festivities, which over the years have moved to the Canalicchio area and around the association's headquarters.
Two names, one community
Visitors from outside sometimes struggle to distinguish the two entities, but in Paternopoli, they are two sides of the same coin. The Misericordia manages two ambulances—one for patient transport and one for 118 emergency services—a vehicle equipped for transporting people with disabilities, and the delivery of food parcels to families in need, with the constant support of volunteers and Civil Service operators. The Fratres, of Christian inspiration, promote blood donation and periodically organize extraordinary collection drives that attract dozens of donors from across the area.
The festival is therefore also a showcase: a way to tell the town, once a year, what it means to maintain a rescue service in a municipality in the Campanian hinterland, where the hospital is not just around the corner and volunteering covers distances that no one else would.
The typical program of the day
- Association and religious moment: a conference or public meeting in the Mother Church of San Nicola di Bari - Maria SS. della Consolazione, with greetings from the Municipal Administration and the parish priest;
- Celebration of the Mater Misericordiae and procession with the confraternities in historical attire;
- Opening of the food and wine stalls at the Misericordia and Fratres headquarters on Via Parco Capuani, featuring local Irpinian products;
- Musical evening outdoors, with folk music groups and dancing until late.
Paternopoli, the village of Fiano and Aglianico
The Municipality of Paternopoli (ZIP code 83052) has just over two thousand inhabitants and stretches across a hill in the Province of Avellino, in Campania, between the Calore valley and the reliefs of central Irpinia. It is a land of important wines—we are in the area of Fiano di Avellino and a stone's throw from Taurasi—and a calendar of events that is surprisingly dense for its size: from the Carnival with its allegorical floats to the Aprilatico Broccoli Festival, from the celebrations for Maria SS. della Consolazione to the Paternopoli Summer.
The Misericordia and Fratres Festival takes place at the beginning of this summer schedule and is, in many ways, its gateway: the first event where the town gathers outdoors after spring, with tables set up in the street and music reaching the houses of the historic center.
What to expect
It is a family-sized festival, not a large-scale event: no massive stages or ticket offices, but a genuine atmosphere, stalls run by volunteers, dishes from Irpinian cuisine, and an evening of folk music where it is normal to end up dancing in the square. Those looking for the Italy of villages, one that organizes itself and considers volunteering a form of belonging, will find it here without filters.
When to go
The event is traditionally held on the first Saturday of July. Admission to the festival is free; you only pay for what you consume at the stalls, the proceeds of which support the activities of the two associations. It is advisable to arrive in the late afternoon to follow the entire day, from the religious moment to the musical evening.
Misericordia and Fratres Festival — edition 2026
Thirty years of donations
The edition of July 4, 2026, had a special meaning for Paternopoli: the «Luigia Sandoli» Fratres Blood Donor Group celebrated its thirty years of activity (1996-2026), marked together with the Misericordia Confraternity during the annual Mater Misericordiae celebration. The logo of the double anniversary, featuring the silhouette of the Irpinian village in the background, appeared on both posters distributed by the Paternopoli OnLine portal and accompanied the entire day.
The «Donation and Prevention» conference
The central moment was the conference hosted in the Mother Church of San Nicola di Bari - Maria SS. della Consolazione, opened by institutional greetings from the Municipal Administration of Paternopoli and Don Rosario Russo, the town's parish priest. The speakers' table featured Prof. Vincenzo Manzo, president of the National Fratres Association, Cav. Giuseppe Festa, president of the Fratres Campania Regional Association, Pasquale Gambino, president of the «Luigia Sandoli» Fratres Group of Paternopoli, Giovanni Tecce, governor of the Misericordia of Paternopoli, and two doctors, Dr. Michele Cirella of the Fratres Campania Regional Association and Dr. Federico Troisi of the Paternopoli group. The moderation was entrusted to Avv. Mirella Giovino.
The chosen theme—donation and prevention—well summarizes the dual soul of the association: on one hand, blood collection, and on the other, health information in a territory of the Campanian hinterland where access to services often requires long journeys.
The evening: stalls and folk music
From 8:00 PM, the food and wine stalls with local products opened, set up at the Misericordia and Fratres headquarters on Via Parco Capuani. At 8:30 PM, the Battista Band took the stage, a folk music group with clarinet, accordion, saxophone, trumpet, and tambourine, which brought the traditional Southern repertoire of tarantellas and ballads to the square, turning the evening into a dance party open to all ages.
Programme Misericordia and Fratres Festival 2026
Saturday, July 4, 2026 - Paternopoli (AV)
- Mother Church of San Nicola di Bari - Maria SS. della Consolazione: «Donation and Prevention» conference, on the occasion of the thirty years of the Fratres Group of Paternopoli (1996-2026). Institutional greetings from the Municipal Administration of Paternopoli and Don Rosario Russo, parish priest of Paternopoli. Speeches by Prof. Vincenzo Manzo (president of the National Fratres Association), Cav. Giuseppe Festa (president of the Fratres Campania Regional Association), Pasquale Gambino (president of the «Luigia Sandoli» Fratres Group of Paternopoli), Giovanni Tecce (governor of the Misericordia of Paternopoli), Dr. Michele Cirella (doctor of the Fratres Campania Regional Association), and Dr. Federico Troisi (doctor of the «Luigia Sandoli» Fratres Group). Moderated by Avv. Mirella Giovino.
- 8:00 PM - Opening of food and wine stalls with local products at the Misericordia and Fratres headquarters, on Via Parco Capuani.
- 8:30 PM - Concert by the Battista Band, folk music and dancing.
Highlights Misericordia and Fratres Festival 2026
Prices Misericordia and Fratres Festival 2026
Practical information — Misericordia and Fratres Festival
Where
Paternopoli (AV), Campania. The food and wine stalls and the musical evening take place at the Misericordia and Fratres Group headquarters, on Via Parco Capuani; the religious moment and conferences are held in the Mother Church of San Nicola di Bari - Maria SS. della Consolazione, in the town center.
How to get there
By car: from the A16 Naples-Canosa motorway, take the Grottaminarda or Lacedonia exit, then follow provincial roads towards Paternopoli; from Avellino, travel about 35 km along the state road 400 of the Calore Valley. From Naples, the journey takes about an hour and a half. By train: the nearest useful stations are those of Avellino and Grottaminarda-Ariano Irpino, with onward travel by bus or car. Nearest airport: Naples-Capodichino.
Admission and costs
Free admission to the festival and the musical evening. Only food and wine consumed at the stalls, managed by volunteers to support the activities of the Misericordia and Fratres, are paid for.
Contacts
Misericordia Confraternity of Paternopoli, Via Parco Capuani 1 - phone +39 0827 71888, mobile +39 333 5943591, e-mail [email protected], website www.misericordiapaternopoli.it. The program for each edition is released a few days beforehand on the local portal Paternopoli OnLine and on the associations' social media channels.
Tips
Accommodation in Paternopoli is limited to a few facilities: for overnight stays, it is better to look in Taurasi, Castelfranci, Montemarano, or Avellino. A visit pairs well with a tour of the wineries in the Taurasi and Fiano di Avellino area.
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Where does it take place — Misericordia and Fratres Festival
Sede della Misericordia e del Gruppo Fratres, Via Parco Capuani, e Chiesa Madre di San Nicola di Bari - Maria SS. della Consolazione
Via Parco Capuani 1, 83052 Paternopoli