Pizza in Piazza – Montemalese Pizza Festival

A village festival in the heart of Sannio

Pizza in Piazza, also known as the Pizza Party or the Montemalese Pizza Festival, is the most anticipated gastronomic event of the summer in Sant'Arcangelo Trimonte, a small town of a few hundred inhabitants in the province of Benevento, Campania. Every year, towards the end of August, the Pro Loco Tourist Association sets up a covered stand in Piazza San Pietro—a natural balcony overlooking the Vallone Lametto and the lower Ufita Valley—transforming the town center into a large open-air kitchen for one intense evening.

It is not a mass-market event, nor does it aim to be: it is a community celebration that has also become a tourist attraction for this tiny corner of the Sannio area.

Montemalese pizza: a humble dish turned local identity

The dish's name tells the history of the town. Until 1861, Sant'Arcangelo Trimonte was actually called Montemalo, an Oscan-Samnite toponym likely indicating a protected place suitable for sheltering flocks. This is the origin of the adjective "Montemalese," which still accompanies the pizza and porchetta served at the festival today.

Montemalese pizza originated as a humble dish of the peasant and feudal tradition. It was made using the leavened bread dough left stuck to the sides of the kneading trough after the "scanatura," the process of dividing dough into bread loaves. This dough, worked like a pizza, was then fried in large copper pans—a material chosen because it ensures even cooking and enhances the product's organoleptic qualities. The result is a fragrant, soft pizza topped with excellent tomatoes from the eastern Sannio hills: nothing could be simpler, and that is precisely what makes it unique.

The evening: covered stand, music, and dancing in the square

The formula is tried and tested. The covered food stand opens in the early evening in Piazza San Pietro; alongside the Montemalese pizza, Pro Loco volunteers offer Montemalese porchetta, the town's second specialty. Guests eat at tables set up under the marquee, with the option to book a spot in advance—a highly recommended tip, given the limited space in the square.

Once the plates are cleared, the evening continues with live music and dancing. In the 2025 edition, entertainment was provided by Jonathan e la buona musica, a well-known group in the Sannio region that often accompanies other summer events organized by the local Pro Loco.

A celebration for emigrants

Pizza in Piazza has a meaning that goes beyond gastronomy: it is historically a festival for emigrants, organized by the Pro Loco during the period when those who left Sant'Arcangelo Trimonte return home for their holidays. The choice of late August is no coincidence: the square fills with families reuniting and generations sitting at the same table, making the festival one of the most cherished moments in the local calendar.

A tradition with a solid history

The event has many editions behind it: the fifteenth took place on August 20, 2016, featuring a performance by the "All Music" group led by Antonio Mandato, dancing in the square, and the presentation of gifts and certificates to collaborators who help keep the traditional pizza-making process alive. In subsequent years, the festival has returned regularly at the end of August: August 25 in 2024, August 23 in 2025, and August 22 in 2026.

The village: what to know before you arrive

Sant'Arcangelo Trimonte is a hillside village at an altitude of approximately 363 meters, 19 kilometers from Benevento and about 70 kilometers from Naples, in a dominant position over the lower Ufita Valley, not far from its confluence with the Calore river. The territory was inhabited in pre-Roman times by Oscan-Samnite peoples dedicated to sheep farming, who settled in the natural caves upon which the Lombards later built their medieval castle.

• The town was repopulated around 1500, following the devastating earthquake of 1456, by Slavic populations who rebuilt the settlement and the churches dedicated to Santa Maria and the Archangels—hence the current name of the municipality.
• The highest point in the territory, the "Toppo del bosco," reaches nearly 500 meters above sea level.
• Until 1978, the municipality belonged to the province of Avellino, thus retaining a character that bridges the Sannio and Irpinia regions.
• Neighboring municipalities include Apice, Buonalbergo, and Paduli, all reachable in a few minutes by car.

Why it's worth the trip

If you are looking for a spectacular festival with dozens of stands and thousands of visitors, you won't find it here. Pizza in Piazza is the exact opposite: an authentic evening managed by volunteers, where you can eat a dish prepared only here. For those exploring eastern Sannio in August, it is the ideal stop.