Pizza Pazza in Piazza

A festival born in 2008 in the heart of Gargani

Pizza Pazza in Piazza was founded in 2008 by the Sant'Agnello Abate Association. Every year, they bring the festival back to Piazza Sant'Agnello, in the heart of the Gargani hamlet in the municipality of Roccarainola, near Naples. Located about thirty kilometers northeast of the regional capital, the town sits on the border between the Nolano area and the provinces of Caserta, Benevento, and Avellino—a part of inland Campania where summer festivals remain the primary social gathering point.

In 2023, the event celebrated its fifteenth anniversary, and in April 2026, the eighteenth edition was publicly unveiled during the StraRocchese, a local walking event that stopped in Piazza Sant'Agnello for tastings and entertainment. The Sacred Heart Association and the Municipality of Roccarainola also collaborate on the event, providing their patronage.

Three ovens in the square and pizza as the star

The festival's setup is simple yet highly effective: three ovens installed directly in the square, a team of pizzaiolos working non-stop, and over four to five hundred seats arranged in the open-air dining area. Neapolitan pizza is the absolute star, served continuously to hundreds of visitors arriving from Roccarainola and neighboring towns.

Alongside the ovens, you will find other food stalls offering artisanal desserts and local specialties. It is an authentic village festival formula, free from expensive staging: you eat while sitting in the square, chat with neighbors and families, and stay until late in the evening.

Live music and evening entertainment

Every evening is accompanied by live music, performances, and DJ sets, typically starting at 7:30 PM. In recent years, the stage has hosted various entertainers and artists from the Neapolitan and Campanian scene: in 2024, the three evenings featured DJ Maurizio Viviani with dancing and karaoke, a night of Neapolitan music, and a final DJ set. In 2025, the square welcomed the social media duo "Mamma Giulia e Figlia Chiara," legendary Radio Marte host Gigio Rosa, and singer Rico Femiano, with a repertoire blending pop, soul, and Neapolitan tradition.

• Three consecutive evenings, typically during the first or second weekend of July
• Stalls open in the early evening, followed by the musical program
• Free entry: you only pay for what you consume
• Open-air event, suitable for families and children

A festival with a charitable heart

In recent years, Pizza Pazza in Piazza has taken on a profile that goes beyond a simple food festival. In 2025, the "Realizziamo un sogno" (Let's Make a Dream Come True) initiative brought the young people of AIAS Cicciano to the square, where they prepared pizzas alongside the professional pizzaiolos. During the event, a recognition was awarded to lawyer Anna Maria D'Arienzo as a disability advocate, and the evening was dedicated to the memory of Giuseppe Russo, known as "Spezzafierro," one of the festival's founders.

This spirit continued with the conference "Senza Confini – L'impasto della felicità" (Without Borders – The Dough of Happiness) hosted on July 3, 2026, at the Sanctuary of Sant'Agnello Abate, featuring Nico Acampora, founder of PizzAut, the first Italian catering project dedicated to the employment of autistic individuals. This meeting on work, inclusion, and rights has become an integral part of the festival's identity.

Why it's worth visiting

Those seeking the genuine atmosphere of Campanian festivals will find one of the best examples here: a village square, the scent of wood-fired ovens, folk music, and a community that organizes itself. The Sanctuary of Sant'Agnello Abate, overlooking the square, provides a beautiful backdrop and highlights the link between the event and local devotion. For those visiting the Neapolitan hinterland in summer, Pizza Pazza in Piazza is a chance to taste pizza where it was born, far from the tourist circuits of the capital.