Peperone Sandwich Festival

The pepper sandwich, a classic of Campanian cuisine

Some dishes in Campania need no introduction, and the pepper sandwich is certainly one of them. Peppers cut into strips and slowly sautéed in a pan with oil, garlic, and a pinch of salt, then tucked inside a loaf or a roll of rustic bread: it is the classic field snack, the lunch taken to work, and the dish that appears in every home at the end of summer when peppers are harvested from the garden. In Scafati, this simple flavor has its own dedicated festival, the Peperone Sandwich Festival.

An end-of-summer festival in the Agro Nocerino Sarnese

The event is held in September, when the pepper season is at its peak and the evenings are still warm—the perfect time for an open-air village festival. The last documented edition took place on Saturday, September 13, and Sunday, September 14, 2025, as reported by local festival circuits in Campania. As is the case with many popular feasts in the Agro area, the event is driven by the efforts of local volunteers and associations rather than a structured organizational machine, with communication primarily handled through local social media channels.

What to expect

The format follows the classic style of Campanian village festivals, built around food stalls and a convivial evening:

• The pepper sandwich, the absolute star, prepared fresh on the spot
• Other street food options and local peasant-style dishes
• Open-air seating and a neighborhood atmosphere, very popular with families
• Evening musical entertainment, as is customary in Agro festivals

As this is a local event, details regarding stalls, schedules, and performances are typically released only a few days before the event.

Scafati, the primary town of the Agro Nocerino Sarnese

With nearly 48,000 inhabitants, Scafati is the most populous municipality in the Agro Nocerino Sarnese and one of the main hubs in the province of Salerno, in Campania. The town stretches across the plains at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, crossed by the Sarno River, in one of the most fertile and famous agricultural areas in Italy. This is where the San Marzano tomato is grown, and this horticultural heritage explains why the local calendar is packed with festivals dedicated to the fruits of the earth, from eggplant and beans to, indeed, the pepper.

Visitors to the festival will discover a town with a lesser-known but surprising heritage: the 15th-century church of Santa Maria delle Vergini, the late-Baroque Santuario della Madonna dei Bagni, the Real Polverificio Borbonico (Royal Bourbon Powder Mill) commissioned in 1851 and now restored as a cultural space, as well as the historic bridge over the Sarno. And just a few kilometers away are the ruins of Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, and the Lattari Mountains.

2026 Edition: dates not yet announced

At the time of writing, the dates for the 2026 edition of the Peperone Sandwich Festival have not been published, nor has an official program. However, the festival is very much alive—the 2025 edition took place as scheduled—and the event is traditionally held in September. Those wishing to attend should monitor social media channels dedicated to Campanian festivals and the pages of the Scafati organizers in the late summer weeks; that is where, as every year, the poster with dates and program will appear.

Tips for your visit

• Agro festivals really come to life after 8:00 PM: it is best to arrive early if you want to find a seat at the tables.
• Payment at the stalls is usually in cash: it is advisable to bring small change.
• September in Campania is still warm during the day, but evenings can get chilly: a light sweater is useful.
• The festival is a great opportunity to combine your visit with a trip to Pompeii, Angri, or the coast, all of which are a short distance away.