Roccamonfina PGI Chestnut and Porcini Mushroom Festival

A festival in the heart of an extinct volcano

Roccamonfina is a small town of just over three thousand inhabitants perched at an altitude of 612 meters in the northern part of the Province of Caserta, in Campania. The town sits inside the ancient crater of a volcano even older than Vesuvius, now covered by an endless expanse of chestnut groves that define both the landscape and the local economy. For over forty years, this has been the home of the PGI Chestnut and Porcini Mushroom Festival, one of the most popular autumn events in the Caserta area, often called the "Maxi Sagra" due to the vast size of the exhibition area set up in the town.

PGI Roccamonfina Chestnuts and porcini mushrooms

The heart of the festival lies in the two products that give the event its name. The PGI Roccamonfina Chestnut grows in the mountain's volcanic soil and includes the "tempestiva" variety, renowned for being one of the earliest in Europe; the porcini mushrooms are harvested from the same chestnut woods that blanket the crater. The food stalls in the historic center offer them in every possible way:

• freshly roasted chestnuts prepared in the "roast-master's village";
• jams, marron glacé, Mont Blanc, and the classic chestnut cake;
• first courses and fresh pasta with porcini, soups, risottos, and fried delicacies;
• sauces, main courses, pizzas, and chestnut-based baked goods;
• caciocavallo cheese and other local specialties, paired with regional wines.

The world's largest chestnut pan

The symbol of the festival is the gigantic roasting pan installed in Piazza Nicola Amore: a "rollaro" nearly ten meters wide that earned the event a Guinness World Record in 2018 for the largest chestnut pan in the world. Watching it in action, with smoke rising over the square and the aroma spreading through the village, has become one of the main reasons to visit Roccamonfina in October.

Music, cabaret, and markets

The festival is about more than just food. Every weekend, the stage in Piazza Nicola Amore hosts concerts and cabaret shows, with a lineup that has featured Neapolitan singer-songwriters, folk and pizzica groups, independent bands, and well-known faces of Campanian comedy. In the afternoon, DJ sets accompany the stroll through the stalls, while Sundays feature entertainment for children. Along the streets of the center, you will find craft markets, local produce, art exhibitions, and live cooking shows.

Excursions and guided tours in the Regional Park

The event is also the perfect opportunity to discover the Roccamonfina and Foce Garigliano Volcanic Area Regional Park, spanning eleven thousand hectares and including, in addition to Roccamonfina, the towns of Conca della Campania, Galluccio, Marzano Appio, Tora e Piccilli, Sessa Aurunca, and Teano. During the festival weekends, free excursions and guided tours are organized to the ancient chestnut groves, the crater trails, the Fontanafredda wash-house, and the Sanctuary of Santa Maria dei Lattani. Shuttles connect the town center with the villages on the volcano's slopes and the famous "Ciampate del diavolo" in Tora e Piccilli, the oldest human fossil footprints ever found in Europe.

An event by the Municipality of Roccamonfina

The festival is organized by the Municipality of Roccamonfina in collaboration with local associations and Pro Loco groups, involving producers from the Campania chestnut and marrone district. Admission to the event area and shows is free: you only pay for what you consume at the stalls. For a mountain village like Roccamonfina, the festival represents much more than a local party: it is the moment when the chestnut supply chain—the main economic activity for families in the crater—showcases itself to the public and finds its market.