Sagra e... L'Aniéll Festival

A festival born around a symbolic dish

In the heart of the Sannio region, just a few kilometres from the Volturno river, the Municipality of Puglianello (Province of Benevento, Campania) launched a festival in 2025 that has quickly become one of the most intriguing in the region: the Sagra e... L'Aniéll. The initiative is run by the Borgo Sannita Cultural Association, which chose to build an entire celebration around a single dish, recovered from an ancient recipe by Pasquale Di Crosta and brought back to the table by his son Rosario in a contemporary version.

The name refers not to an ingredient, but to a shape. Aniéll, in the local dialect, means 'ring': it is the layout of Puglianello's historic centre, compact and almost circular, and at the same time a metaphor for the union of local products, which hold together on the plate like the links of a chain. Few Italian festivals have an identity so explicitly tied to their town's geography, which is why this event is much more than just a series of food stalls.

What to eat: pork rind, veal, and zero-kilometre pork

The festival's cuisine revolves around zero-kilometre veal and pork, raised in the countryside surrounding the village. The absolute star is the pork rind (cotica), which in the Aniéll recipe flavours the first courses and is also reinterpreted in more casual versions, from stuffed sandwiches to street-food finger snacks. Alongside the main dishes, you will find local cured meats and regional wines.

• Typical Sannio cured meats: pezzentella sausage, capocollo, local prosciutto
• Sannio wines: Falanghina, Aglianico, and Barbera del Sannio
• Craft beer produced locally by the Historia brewery
• Homemade desserts and a stand dedicated to gluten-free products

For the inaugural edition, the kitchen was led by chef Agostino Vessella, with a menu built on the recovery of ancient flavours rather than a vast selection: a choice that gives the festival a character more like a village dinner table than a street food fair.

Folk music, organetto, and DJ sets

The evening programme is dedicated to live music, alternating between Campanian folk groups, dance bands, and DJ sets. Past editions have featured the Bottari of Macerata Campania with their ancient sounds of barrels and scythes, Italian rock bands, tammorra ensembles, and the inevitable organetto (diatonic accordion) for the collective dancing that closes the party. It is a programme designed for the local public, without big names, but capable of keeping the festival area alive until late at night.

Location and layout

The festival takes place on Via Giovanni Pitò, in the heart of Puglianello: the street is closed to traffic and equipped with covered and heated structures, an essential choice for an event that, in its first edition, was held at the end of winter. The organization provides a children's play area, a camper area, parking, and a list of local accommodation, making the festival suitable for those arriving from outside the region for the weekend.

Puglianello and the Sannio area

Puglianello has just over a thousand inhabitants and is located in the western part of the province of Benevento, on the plains, about thirty kilometres from the provincial capital and less than fifty from Naples. It is a border area between the Sannio and Caserta regions, where the Volturno and Calore rivers shape an agricultural landscape of vegetable gardens, vineyards, and family farms. Nearby, you can visit the Sannio Museum and the Roman theatre of Benevento, the wine-producing villages of Guardia Sanframondi and Castelvenere, the Taburno-Camposauro Regional Park, and the Telese Thermal Baths.

Why it's worth the trip

The Sagra e... L'Aniéll is a successful example of a new-generation festival: it does not re-propose a centuries-old event, but builds a gastronomic ritual from scratch, starting from a family recipe and the shape of a town. Those looking for the less-travelled side of Italian food and wine, where you can meet the person who cooked your meal, will find exactly what they are looking for in this Sannio square. Free entry, village-festival prices, and a warm welcome that is already the trademark of Borgo Sannita.