Salsiccia e Friarielli Festival

A winter festival in the heart of the Sarno Valley

The Salsiccia e Friarielli Festival is one of the most anticipated winter events in Striano, a small town in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, nestled in the Sarno Valley between Mount Vesuvius and the Lattari Mountains. In the first days of January, the courtyard of the Casa Canonica and the grounds of the Parish of San Giovanni Battista, at Via Municipio 26, transform into a large, convivial space where the town gathers just after the Christmas holidays, when the cold makes the scent of the grill even more inviting.

The sausage and friarielli sandwich, the absolute star

The signature dish of the event is the sausage and friarielli sandwich, one of the most iconic pairings in Neapolitan cuisine: sausage cooked over charcoal and sautéed friarielli, served hot in a freshly prepared bun. It is accompanied by a good glass of wine and a tasting of typical local products. It is a deliberately simple offering, without frills, which over the years has become the hallmark of the festival and the reason why the event is so highly appreciated throughout the area.

• Freshly prepared sausage and friarielli sandwiches
• Wine and accompanying drinks
• Tasting of typical local products
• Open-air evenings in the Casa Canonica courtyard

Faith and tradition: celebrations for Saint Severinus the Abbot

The festival is not an isolated event: it was born within the celebrations for Saint Severinus the Abbot, the patron saint of Striano, whose liturgical feast day falls on January 8th. On that date, the community participates in the traditional procession with the statue of the Patron Saint, which concludes with a Solemn Mass. The festival represents the civil and convivial side of this devotional calendar: a blend of faith, popular tradition, and good food that is renewed from generation to generation and explains why the dates remain anchored to the beginning of January.

A history spanning over thirty years

The event has a long history behind it. The 32nd edition took place in January 2020, again in the Casa Canonica courtyard; the 34th followed in January 2024, while the 35th edition was held from January 4th to 8th, 2025, over five consecutive evenings. These numbers place the festival among the longest-running in the Neapolitan province and highlight the role of the parish as the engine of the town's community life: it is the volunteers who handle the grilling, service, and setup, in a fully community-driven organizational machine.

Atmosphere and audience

The evenings come to life at dusk, when the stands open and the courtyard fills with families, groups of friends, and visitors arriving from the nearby towns of the Sarno Valley and the Vesuvius area. There is no spectacular stage or grand festival programming: the festival thrives on word-of-mouth, the queues in front of the grill, and the chatter between one sandwich and the next. Those looking for an authentic Campanian village festival experience, far from tourist circuits, will find one of the most genuine examples here.

Striano, between Mount Vesuvius and the Lattari Mountains

Striano has just under nine thousand inhabitants and covers about 7.6 square kilometers at 22 meters above sea level, in the south-eastern portion of the Campanian plain. Its location makes it a convenient base for those who want to combine a visit to the festival with the most famous destinations in the surroundings, from the archaeological excavations of the Vesuvius area to the Vesuvius National Park, and even the coast. Another reason to plan an evening in Striano during the January patronal celebrations.

Before you go

As this is an event organized by the parish, the dates and program are usually announced shortly before the start through the channels of the Parish of San Giovanni Battista and the Municipality of Striano. It is therefore advisable to check for updated information closer to the Christmas holidays, especially if you are arriving from outside the province.