Primavera Pizzicata

A spring ritual in the village of Trentinara

There are many ways to welcome the new season, but in Trentinara, a small village in the province of Salerno overlooking the Sele plain, they have chosen the sound of the tambourine. Primavera Pizzicata was established in 2026 as a day entirely dedicated to the folk music of Southern Italy, specifically the pizzica from Salento, brought here—many miles away from Salento—as a shared language of the entire South. The event takes place on Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Piazza San Nicola, in the historic center of the village.

The initiative is promoted by the Radici e Orizzonti APS association, which works in Trentinara to promote the musical and artisanal traditions of the Cilento region. The association's name reflects the event's philosophy: starting from local roots to embrace other Southern repertoires, without turning tradition into a museum piece.

The Salento tambourine takes center stage

The day begins at 3:00 PM with a Salento tambourine workshop led by Giancarlo Paglialunga, one of the most recognizable voices and tambourine players on the Salento scene. This is not just a demonstration; the workshop is designed as a training session open to enthusiasts, the curious, and musicians, focusing on the techniques, rhythms, and history of one of the iconic instruments of the pizzica. Participation is by registration, which must be requested directly from the organizers.

This is a rare opportunity in the Cilento area: the tambourine is an instrument learned primarily through direct transmission, by watching the hands of the player, and having a master of this caliber available for an afternoon is a great reason to head up to Trentinara.

The concert in Piazza San Nicola

At 9:00 PM, the square becomes a stage for the free concert that concludes the day. On stage, Giancarlo Paglialunga (vocals and tambourine) and Giuseppe Anglano (vocals and accordion) provide an authentic expression of the Salento musical tradition in an essential formation where the voice and two instruments are enough to build the entire rhythmic and melodic structure.

Admission is free, in the best tradition of Southern Italian town festivals, where the dance circle forms spontaneously and those who arrive to listen almost always end up dancing.

The flavors of Cilento

Starting at 7:00 PM, the food area opens in the square, offering food and wine specialties from the Cilento region. This is when the event shifts gears and becomes a true village festival: people eat, drink, and wait together for the concert to begin. Cilento is a land of the Mediterranean diet recognized by UNESCO, and local products—from cheeses to handmade pasta dishes—naturally accompany an evening like this.

Trentinara, the terrace of Cilento

Trentinara is located within the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, in a panoramic position above the Paestum plain: from here, on clear days, the view stretches all the way to the sea. The village, one of the smallest in Campania, preserves a compact historic center made of alleys, stairways, and small squares like Piazza San Nicola, which for one day becomes the center of the scene.

Its proximity to the Paestum archaeological site makes the event easy to combine with a day of sightseeing: Greek temples in the morning, pizzica in the evening.

Why attend

• A tambourine workshop with a recognized master of the Salento tradition
• A free folk music concert in a village square
• Cilento food and wine in the refreshment area from 7:00 PM
• An opportunity to discover Trentinara and the Cilento National Park outside the peak tourist season
• A family-friendly event, suitable even for those approaching pizzica for the first time