Penna alla Castellana and Skewer Festival

A festival that opens the Irpinian event season

The Penna alla Castellana and Skewer Festival is one of the most anticipated events on the last weekend of May in Irpinia. It takes place in Castel del Lago (also known as Castello del Lago), a small hamlet in the Municipality of Venticano, in the province of Avellino, in the heart of inland Campania. A few hundred inhabitants welcome thousands of visitors for two days from all over the province, the Benevento Sannio area, and the Naples region: it is no coincidence that the festival is considered the event that officially inaugurates the summer calendar between Irpinia and Sannio.

Signature dishes: Penna alla Castellana and the Skewer

The name of the festival already tells its gastronomic story. Penna alla castellana is the first course that made Castel del Lago famous: pasta prepared according to a local recipe that has brought the village gastronomic fame well beyond municipal borders. Alongside it is the skewer, grilled on the large braziers set up in the square, whose aroma fills the air all evening.

• Penna alla castellana — the hamlet's signature dish, served at the festival stands
• Grilled Skewer — the specialty that gives the event its name
• Street food and refreshment points — active both evenings, with desserts and drinks

The stands are managed by the local community and parish volunteers: it is this village-scale dimension, rather than commercial logic, that gives the festival its authentic character.

Faith and tradition: celebrations for Maria SS. Immacolata

The festival was not born as a simple gastronomic event: it accompanies the solemn celebrations in honor of Maria SS. Immacolata, the community's patron saint, promoted by the S. Maria Vergine Immacolata Parish of Castel del Lago, within the Archdiocese of Benevento. The religious program opens with a novena, featuring the recitation of the rosary and daily Mass, culminating in a solemn Eucharistic celebration and a procession that winds through the streets of the hamlet with the statue of the Immaculate Virgin.

The procession is accompanied by the laying of a laurel wreath at the War Memorial, a deeply felt civic moment, and musical accompaniment by local bands. The finale is entrusted to fireworks, which close the festivities by illuminating the hills of the Calore valley.

Music, shows, and evenings in the square

The civic program is designed for all ages: starting in the late afternoon with entertainment and games for children, continuing with comedy shows and live concerts, and ending with DJ sets that keep the square buzzing until late at night. In recent years, the stage has hosted Southern folk groups, tarantella and pizzica ensembles, tribute bands, and well-known faces of Campanian comedy, in a formula that combines the rediscovery of roots with contemporary entertainment.

Castel del Lago, a village along the ancient Appian Way

The territory of Venticano has been crossed for centuries by the route of the ancient Appian Way, the road that connected Rome to Brindisi via the Calore valley. The municipality is divided into several centers — the main town of Campanarello and the hamlets of Castel del Lago and Calore — and Castel del Lago, located just over three kilometers from the center, owes its vitality to the proximity of the motorway exit that bears its name. It is a natural crossroads between Irpinia and Sannio, which explains why the festival attracts such a wide audience.

Why it is worth attending

• One of the first major festivals of the season in the province of Avellino, with early summer weather
• A dish you won't find elsewhere: penna alla castellana
• The rare combination of a traditional patronal feast, religious procession, and a big popular party
• Family atmosphere, affordable prices, and the genuine hospitality of the Irpinian community
• Very easy access from the A16 motorway, just minutes from the exit