Saint Blaise Patronal Feast

The festival that brings the whole village together

In Palomonte, a municipality in the province of Salerno in Campania, the Saint Blaise Patronal Feast is much more than a religious event: it is the moment when the entire village reunites. Perched at an altitude of about 550 meters on the hills separating the Sele valley from the Tanagro valley, the village has just under 4,000 inhabitants distributed between the center and the hamlets of Bivio, Scorzo, Sperlonga, Valle, Perrazze, Pezzelle, Vonghia, and Falascone. During the festival days, all these districts converge toward the historic center, along with emigrants who return to the village specifically for the occasion.

Saint Blaise, the protector of the throat

Saint Blaise, a physician and bishop of Sebaste in Armenia, martyred in the early 4th century, is venerated throughout Italy as the protector against throat ailments and as a symbol of charity and healing. The gesture that makes him immediately recognizable is the blessing of the throat: the priest crosses two candles under the faithful's chin and pronounces the prayer of intercession. In Palomonte, this rite accompanies the celebrations and remains one of the most attended moments, capable of drawing families and people of all ages to the church.

Two appointments in the same year

Those planning a visit should keep a peculiarity in mind: the liturgical memorial of the patron saint falls on February 3rd, in the middle of winter, and is celebrated in church; the external festivities—those with illuminations, a brass band, market stalls, and fireworks—are held at a different time of year, when the climate allows for enjoying the streets. In 2025, the festival week took place from October 5th to 12th. Therefore, it is the autumn season, not February, when Palomonte stages its main festival.

How the festivities are structured

The program, spread over several days, alternates between devotional and popular dimensions. The elements that return every year are:

• Daily religious celebrations and prayer moments in preparation for the saint's day
• Solemn procession with the statue of Saint Blaise through the village streets, accompanied by the brass band and liturgical choirs
• The traditional rite of the blessing of the throat with crossed candles
• Evening concerts and performances by folk groups in the squares
• Food stalls with local specialties and traditional sweets
• Activities and creative workshops for children
• Fireworks display to close the festivities

During the week, the Municipality organizes parking areas, information points, and catering and hospitality services for those arriving from outside: the festival attracts faithful and curious visitors from the neighboring towns of the Upper and Middle Sele and the Tanagro area.

Palomonte, between the Tanagro and the Sele

The village is part of the Tanagro - Alto e Medio Sele Mountain Community and preserves a significant religious heritage, starting with the Mother Church of Santa Croce and the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Sperlonga, whose origins date back to the 10th century. The territory is marked by olive cultivation—the oil is part of the Colline Salernitane PDO designation—and by the memory of the ancient Lake of Palo, drained in the nineteenth century, which left its name and the shape of the plain below.

For a visitor, the Saint Blaise festival is the best opportunity to discover this corner of the Salerno hinterland far from the tourist routes of the coast: a stone village, wide views over the valley, peasant cuisine made of fresh pasta, cured meats, and oil, and a community that willingly opens up to newcomers during the patron saint's days.

When to go and what to expect

The atmosphere is that of Southern patronal feasts: arches of lights on the streets of the center, the rolling of the brass band, market stalls, balconies decorated for the passage of the statue, and the crowd waiting for the fireworks on the last evening. The dates vary from year to year and are communicated by the festival committee and the parish a few weeks in advance through posters and local social media channels: it is always advisable to check them before setting off.