Paesano Ham Festival

Two evenings on the eve of Ferragosto

The Paesano Ham Festival is the most anticipated summer event in Castelpagano, a small village of just over 1,300 inhabitants perched at an altitude of 630 meters in the upper Sannio region, in the province of Benevento, Campania. Every year on August 13th and 14th, the eve of Ferragosto, Piazza Municipio and the narrow streets of the historic center fill with long tables, stalls, and music: it is the festival that brings back those who emigrated and those returning for the holidays, along with visitors from the nearby towns of the Fortore and Tammaro valleys.

The event is organized by the Pro Loco Castelpagano in collaboration with the Municipality of Castelpagano and has become a well-established tradition: the seventeenth edition was held in 2023, the eighteenth in 2024, and the nineteenth in 2025. In nearly twenty years, the festival has become a staple of the Benevento event calendar, cited every summer as one of the must-visit food and wine events in Campania.

Paesano ham, the absolute star

The product that gives the festival its name is ham processed and cured in the village according to ancient methods: salt, mountain air, and time—a lot of time. In Castelpagano, the aging process can take up to two years, and this long wait gives the ham an intense, dry, and persistent flavor, very different from industrial products. It is a taste that tells the story of the peasant economy of the Sannio Apennines, where the family-raised pig was the true food reserve for the winter and home butchery was an art passed down from father to son.

What to eat and drink

The Pro Loco food stalls offer simple and clear options, designed to showcase the ham paired with other local products:

• the tasting platter, a complete meal with ham, melon, mozzarella salad, a selection of cheeses, bread, and a drink;
• the ham sandwich, the fastest and most popular option, served with water or wine;
• the aperitif with ham, breadsticks, and cheeses, served in the late afternoon before the stalls open;
• local red wine by the glass or bottle, beer, spritz, soft drinks, and cocktails.

Alongside the ham, there are cheeses and honey produced in the area, along with traditional village dishes prepared by volunteers. Portions are generous and prices remain those of a village festival: you eat well for a low price, sitting at tables set up in the square.

Folk music, DJ sets, and crafts

The festival is not just about food. Each evening follows the same well-tested rhythm: aperitif in the late afternoon, stalls opening around 8:00 PM, live concert from 9:00 PM, and DJ sets after midnight for those who want to dance late. The musical program favors Southern folk music—tarantellas, accordions, tambourines—and the show orchestras that have always accompanied summer festivals in Campania. Along the festival route, you will also find local craft stalls, while fireworks generally close the Ferragosto celebrations.

Castelpagano and the upper Sannio

Those who arrive at the festival discover a village off the beaten tourist track, surrounded by chestnut and oak forests and overlooking the hills of the Fortore. The patron saint is Saint Donatus, venerated here since ancient times, and the territory preserves traces of prehistoric settlements and ancient cults documented in the Sannio museums. The Pro Loco also enlivens the local calendar with the Threshing Festival, the Porcini Mushroom Festival in September—now in its twenty-sixth edition—and the Saint Martin's Day celebration with chestnuts, new wine, and polenta.

Why it's worth the trip

The Paesano Ham Festival is the type of event that explains better than any guidebook what an Italian August in inland villages really means: no scenery built for tourists, but an entire community cooking, serving at tables, and dancing in the square. For those spending their holidays between Benevento, Campobasso, and northern Puglia, it is a short detour and an authentic evening, featuring a product you won't find in supermarkets.