Saint Anthony and Saint Vitus Festival (Quartiere di Fuoco)

A popular festival at the foot of the Picentini Mountains

Every year, around June 13th and 15th, Caposele—a town in the province of Avellino, in upper Irpinia, in the heart of Campania—celebrates both Saint Anthony and Saint Vitus. The stage is the small church of San Vito, a 17th-century building standing isolated in the district of the same name, surrounded by meadows and woods that mark the border with the Picentini Mountains Regional Park. It is one of those places that the locals consider "home": you get there on foot or by car along country roads, spread a blanket on the grass, and stay until evening.

The event, promoted by the San Gerardo Maiella Parish, is not a staged festival but the natural continuation of an ancient rural devotion to the patron saint of animals and flocks. Faith, pop music, games for children, and food stalls coexist naturally over the three days.

The 2026 edition program

The 2026 edition took place from Saturday, June 13th to Monday, June 15th. Saturday evening, dedicated to Saint Anthony, opened with the solemn Eucharistic celebration at 8:00 PM and the traditional blessing of the bonfire; followed at 9:30 PM by a concert by the band Silvano e gli Elettroni. On Sunday the 14th, starting at 5:00 PM, there was the "Aperitif under the Church", an afternoon of socializing accompanied by 70s, 80s, and 90s revival vibes.

On Monday the 15th, the day of Saint Vitus, the day began at 8:30 AM with a gathering in front of the Sanctuary and the procession with the statue of the Saint to the church; at 11:00 AM, Mass was held with the blessing of the bread rolls; from 2:00 PM, dancing and games for children were organized by Hakuna Matata; at 7:00 PM, the solemn Eucharistic celebration took place, followed in the evening by a concert by the group Fantasy. Throughout the three days, food stalls and a shuttle service from three collection points in town were available.

The blessing of the bread rolls, the most heartfelt ritual

This is the moment no one in Caposele misses. At the end of the Mass on June 15th, the priest blesses small bread rolls, which are then distributed to the faithful. The tradition, widespread throughout the Irpinia and Lucania area, has its roots in the pastoral cult of Saint Vitus, invoked as the protector of flocks, herds, and those who work with animals: the blessed bread was kept at home or given to dogs as a propitiatory remedy against the bite of rabid animals. Today, the gesture has lost its magical function but not its identity value, and it remains one of the most recognizable signs of popular religiosity in the upper Sele Valley.

The return of the "Quartiere di Fuoco"

On the evening of June 13th, in the town, the festival has a second face: that of the Saint Anthony bonfires lit in the small squares of the various districts, around which people eat, drink, play music, and dance until late at night. In 2026, the Pro Loco Caposele, with its new board, brought back the neighborhood challenge called "Quartiere di Fuoco" (Fire District), which had been interrupted by the pandemic and not resumed in subsequent years for organizational reasons. A jury begins the tour of the bonfires at 9:30 PM and assigns each district a score from 5 to 10 on five macro-areas: neighborhood involvement, general scenography, typical menu, musical accompaniment, and elements that go beyond tradition. The winner is announced by midnight.

Caposele, between the Sele springs and Materdomini

Those who come up to Caposele for the festival find much more than just an evening. The town, with just over three thousand inhabitants at 405 meters above sea level, guards the springs of the Sele River, which feed the Apulian Aqueduct, and hosts the Sanctuary of Saint Gerard Maiella in the hamlet of Materdomini, one of the most frequented pilgrimage sites in Southern Italy. On the table, you will find handmade matasse pasta, muffletto—the local potato bread—and amaretti cookies. A combination of water, spirituality, and nature that makes the June festival an excellent excuse to discover upper Irpinia.

Who organizes it

• San Gerardo Maiella Parish, promoter of the religious celebrations;
• local associations STAFFSFATT and Wake Up 2.0, for the musical and recreational part;
• the Pro Loco Caposele, for the "Quartiere di Fuoco" bonfire competition in the town districts.