Paestum Pizza Fest

The pizza festival in the heart of Cilento

The Paestum Pizza Fest was born in 2023 in Capaccio Paestum, in the province of Salerno, with an idea as simple as it is ambitious: to showcase Italian pizza starting from the very land that provides some of its most iconic ingredients, from buffalo mozzarella from Campania (DOP) to San Marzano tomatoes. In just a few editions, the event has become one of the most popular gastronomic gatherings of the Cilento summer: the 2025 edition exceeded 10,000 visitors over four days, with approximately 8,000 pizzas served.

The NEXT, a former tobacco factory turned cultural space

The festival's historic home is the NEXT - Nuova Esposizione Ex Tabacchificio in Cafasso, located at Via Cafasso 21. It is a large 20th-century industrial complex reclaimed by the Municipality of Capaccio Paestum and transformed into an exhibition and cultural space: the naves, the inner courtyard, and the squares are perfectly suited to host the ovens, pizzeria stalls, tasting areas, and stages. It is the same venue that hosts other local food and wine festivals throughout the year, and its industrial atmosphere, with exposed brick and large spans, gives the festival a highly recognizable visual identity.

Dozens of pizzerias from across Southern Italy

The heart of the event is the ovens. Alongside a core group of resident pizzerias present for the duration of the festival, guest pizza chefs from various regions—including Campania, Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia, Lazio, and Sicily—take turns each evening. In 2025, a total of thirty-two establishments were involved, between fixed and rotating stalls. This allows the public to sample very different styles in a single evening:

• Neapolitan pizza, with its classic high crust and rapid cooking time;
• Fried pizza, one of the symbols of the popular Campania tradition;
• Pizza in teglia (pan pizza) and artisanal leavened baked goods;
• Gourmet and contemporary offerings, built around Cilento products;
• Gluten-free options, available at some of the participating pizzerias.

More than just pizza: masterclasses, talks, and music

The program goes beyond tastings. The NEXT courtyard becomes a meeting space with masterclasses, technical demonstrations, podcast-style talks, live radio broadcasts, and book presentations dedicated to the world of pizza and pairings with wine and beer. There are also workshops for children, where the little ones learn to stretch and top their own dough under the guidance of the pizza chefs, as well as themed evenings with live music and DJ sets that accompany the peak hours between 7:00 PM and midnight.

Sustainability, inclusion, and local ties

Since its first edition, the festival has followed clear guidelines: sustainability, sharing, local enhancement, and inclusivity. The event is plastic-free and has adopted a Zero Waste protocol, collaborating with the Banco Alimentare della Campania to donate surplus pizzas to local charitable organizations. Admission is free for children under 14 and for people with disabilities accompanied by a caregiver, and the NEXT area is accessible with ample parking.

A format that has become itinerant

After three editions in Cilento, in 2026 the Paestum Pizza Fest took the form of a tour: the fourth edition took place from July 23 to 26, 2026, on the seafront of Castellammare di Stabia, in the province of Naples, rather than in Capaccio Paestum. As of the update of this page, the organizers have not announced a return of the event to the NEXT: those wishing to attend a Cilento leg are invited to follow the festival's official channels, where new dates are published.

Capaccio Paestum, between temples and the sea

The setting alone is worth the trip. The Municipality of Capaccio Paestum, in Campania, is home to the Paestum Archaeological Park, featuring some of the best-preserved Doric temples in the world, and overlooks a long stretch of sandy coastline. The festival takes place in the height of the summer season and fits naturally into a stay that can combine archaeology, the sea, buffalo farms, and the cuisine of Cilento, the recognized home of the Mediterranean diet.