Palio Vivi San Marco

A village Palio in the heart of Cilento

The Palio Vivi San Marco takes place in San Marco di Castellabate, the seaside district of the municipality of Castellabate, in the province of Salerno, in the heart of the Cilento region and Campania. It is neither a horse race nor a chivalric tournament: it is a popular Palio, built around traditional farming and maritime games, which every year brings together the local districts for a day of challenges, colors, and community spirit.

The event is organized by the Associazione Culturale Vivi San Marco, founded by a group of young people in their twenties and thirties, with the collaboration of the Castellabate parish community and the Associazione Marina Piccola, and under the patronage of the Municipality of Castellabate, the Campania Region, and the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park.

From 2017 to today: the history of the Palio

The first edition was held on April 25, 2017, the feast day of Saint Mark the Evangelist, the patron saint of the district. The idea was simple: to bring back to the square the games that, until a few decades ago, were enjoyed during village festivals, and to make it a moment of encounter between the different souls of the town. After the break imposed by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the Palio restarted in 2022 with even wider participation, and has grown edition after edition up to the eight districts competing in 2026.

The Palio is registered among the Italian historical re-enactments on the Ministry of Culture's portal dedicated to Historical Re-enactments, which places it in Castellabate annually in the month of April.

The competing districts

The teams representing the districts and localities of the municipality compete for the Palio, each with its own colors, banners, and following of fans:

• San Marco, the district hosting the event
• Santa Maria
• Castellabate, the ancient village on the hill
• Ogliastro and Licosa
• Lago
• Alano
• San Pietro
• Annunziata

Each team fields about fifteen participants, including boys and girls, who alternate in the various trials. The rivalry is fierce but always good-natured: the goal declared by the organizers remains to have fun together.

Traditional games

The program of events changes slightly every year, but the repertoire always draws from the same heritage of popular games, with some surprise variations revealed only on the day itself. Past editions have featured trials such as:

• tug-of-war, an essential test of strength between districts
• the sack race along the main street
• the human wheelbarrow
• the sponge squeeze, a team water game
• the mermaid on water bike, a trial held in the water in the harbor area

A day of celebration, between the square and the harbor

The day follows a now-consolidated ritual: gathering of the teams in Torretta, parade towards the Piazza Comunale to the sound of trumpets and drums, blessing of the teams and the start of the competitions, first along the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and then in the San Marco harbor area, where stands are set up for the public. A speaker accompanies the trials, commenting on scores and rankings, while the seafront fills with families, children, and curious onlookers.

The Palio and the feast of Saint Mark the Evangelist

The Palio is closely linked to the celebrations in honor of Saint Mark the Evangelist, which in San Marco di Castellabate span several days including religious services, processions by sea and land, concerts in the square, and fireworks. The Palio represents its secular and most playful side, and effectively opens the summer event season on the Cilento coast.

Why visit

For those visiting Cilento, the Palio Vivi San Marco is the opportunity to see Castellabate — one of the most beautiful villages in Italy and the set of the film Welcome to the South — in its most authentic dimension, far from the August crowds. A spring day by the sea, with the Castello dell'Abate behind you, the Santa Maria di Castellabate Marine Protected Area in front, and an entire town cheering for its own district.