Radici e Sapori

Radici e Sapori, the celebration of farming heritage in Spinazzo

Every early July, the square of Spinazzo, a small rural hamlet in the municipality of Capaccio Paestum, in the province of Salerno, transforms into the stage for Radici e Sapori: four evenings of Cilento cuisine, live music, and historical storytelling. The event is organized by the La Rinascita association, which has been active in the village for over thirty years, with the support of the municipal administration and numerous local farms.

A village born from land reform

Spinazzo is not an ancient town; it is an agricultural village established in the 1950s, when land reform and the comprehensive reclamation of the Piana del Sele granted farmers plots of four to six hectares, cultivated with tomatoes, tobacco, artichokes, and pears. Before then, the area was a baronial fiefdom documented as far back as the 18th century. Radici e Sapori was created specifically to keep this memory alive: the often intense struggles of the farmhands for the land are at the heart of conferences, testimonials from the families involved, and photo exhibitions that accompany every edition.

The table: short supply chain and Cilento tradition

The gastronomic journey is the heart of the festival. The stalls offer dishes from the Cilento tradition prepared with short-supply-chain products, largely provided by the farms and dairies that support the event. It is a direct way to connect what is served on the table with the land that produces it, just a few kilometers from the temples of Paestum and the coastline.

• Cilento peasant cuisine dishes
• Short-supply-chain products from Piana del Sele farms
• Free admission, food and drinks available for purchase at the stalls
• Play area and entertainment for children

Music and entertainment in the square

Every evening, after the stalls open, the village square hosts a concert: folk rhythms and tarantella, Italian song tribute bands, 1970s-90s themed nights, and disco music. Roaming entertainment among the tables and a dedicated space for children make the event suitable for all ages: the first edition in 2024 already attracted thousands of visitors over three days.

What makes this festival different

Compared to many summer festivals in Campania, Radici e Sapori claims a precise identity: it is not just a gastronomic feast, but the collective story of how a village is born. Conferences like "Roots and Future" address the relationship between the farming past and today's agriculture, while photo exhibitions showcase the faces and gestures of those who built the village. The result is a popular yet educational event that has grown rapidly since its first edition.

When and where

The event takes place in the square of Spinazzo (postal code 84047), a locality in the municipality of Capaccio Paestum, traditionally in the first few days of July, from Thursday to Sunday. Food stalls open in the evening, while concerts usually start around 9:00 PM. Its location, halfway between the Archaeological Park of Paestum and the Sele countryside, makes it a convenient stop for those vacationing on the Cilento coast.