Sant'Alessio Festival

A community celebration in the heart of Irpinia

The Sant'Alessio Festival is one of the most cherished events of the summer in Venticano, a town of just over two thousand inhabitants in the province of Avellino, nestled in the heart of Irpinia and inland Campania. Every year, around July 17th—the day the Church honors the saint—the town gathers around its co-patron for two days that weave together liturgical celebrations, popular tradition, and open-air conviviality.

While not the main patronal feast, which falls in early September alongside celebrations for Maria Santissima and Saint Lucy, this is an independent and deeply rooted tradition promoted by the Parish of Santa Maria and Sant'Alessio in collaboration with local associations and the Municipality of Venticano.

Who was Saint Alessio

Saint Alessio, also known as the Beggar of God, was a young Roman patrician who, according to hagiographic tradition, renounced his wealth and privileges to live in poverty and charity, eventually returning incognito to his father's house. The Church celebrates him on July 17th, and he is invoked as the protector of beggars and pilgrims. In Venticano, devotion to him is so ancient that the town's mother church, the Church of Santa Maria and Sant'Alessio, is named after him and the Virgin Mary.

The program: between liturgy and the square

The festival is traditionally divided into two distinct parts. The first is purely religious: on the liturgical day, the Holy Rosary is recited in the late afternoon, followed by a solemn Holy Mass. In the 2025 edition, the celebration was presided over by H.E. Mons. Felice Accrocca, Metropolitan Archbishop of Benevento, featuring the administration of the Sacrament of Confirmation and a special blessing for all those bearing the saint's name.

The second part is civil and convivial: the following evening, the town squares host food stalls offering traditional Irpinian cuisine, accompanied by live music. It follows the classic pattern of a Campanian village festival, where devotion naturally extends into shared meals and music under the festive lights.

Irpinian flavors on the table

• Traditional peasant dishes from the Calore Valley
• Local cured meats and cheeses: Venticano even hosts a dedicated ham festival in late August
• Great regional wines, produced just a few kilometers away: Aglianico, Greco di Tufo, and Fiano di Avellino
• Homemade desserts prepared by local families and associations

Part of the Venticano summer

The Sant'Alessio Festival is part of the ViviAMO Venticano program, the calendar through which the municipal administration brings the town to life from July to September: open-air theater at the Cavea Teatrale, historical re-enactments, family events, sports tournaments, and, in August, the historic Ham, Wine, and Lamb Festival, one of the most popular in Irpinia. Events are held across Piazza Monumento ai Caduti, Piazza Santa Maria, Piazza Pio, and the Cavea Teatrale.

Why it's worth visiting

Visitors will find an authentic festival here, not one manufactured for tourism: the church bell marking the day, the festive lights along the main street, the scent of grills firing up at sunset, and families gathering in front of the church. It is also an opportunity to discover a corner of Campania far from the crowded circuits, halfway between Avellino and Benevento, where olive groves and vineyards shape the landscape and the villages still preserve a shared calendar of rituals and festivals.