Patronal Feast of Saint James the Greater and La Gnoccata

Saint James the Greater, patron of the brigands' village

In Roccamandolfi, the Matese village in the province of Isernia known as the "brigands' village" for its 19th-century history, July 25th is the feast day of the patron saint, Saint James the Greater. The day combines religious celebrations — solemn mass, procession through the streets of the historic center, band, and fireworks — with the popular festival that has accompanied the saint for decades.

La Gnoccata, mountains of handmade gnocchi

The civil heart of the festival is La Gnoccata, the gnocchi festival, which in 2023 reached its 29th edition. At the Don Pasquale Priorello multi-purpose center, starting from half past noon, volunteers from the Festival Committee and the Schola Cantorum hand-prepare about a hundred kilograms of flour to make generous portions of gnocchi, seasoned with sauce and the inevitable sausage. It is a collective ritual that involves the entire village and attracts returning emigrants.

An identity festival

Between the sacred and the profane, the feast of Saint James is one of the most heartfelt events of Roccamandolfi's summer, capable of transforming the square into a large shared table and strengthening the bonds of a mountain community proud of its traditions.