Sant'Anna Feast and Tomato Festival

A patronal feast that becomes a food festival

In Torca, a hillside village in the Municipality of Massa Lubrense (Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania), devotion to Saint Anne and rural cuisine meet every summer. The village's patron saint is celebrated on July 26th with Eucharistic services and a procession through the village streets, featuring the local brass band and the Confraternity of San Filippo Neri. The popular festivities, however, take place during the first weekend of August: that is when the square transforms into the stage for the Tomato Festival, complete with food stalls, live music, and traditional games.

This is not an event built for tourists, but a community celebration: it is organized by the parish community of San Tommaso Apostolo, which enlists volunteers of all ages to work in the kitchen for several days. The result is one of the most authentic food festivals on the Sorrento Peninsula, where visitors sit at the same tables as the local residents.

The local tomato, the absolute star

The common thread is the local tomato, grown in the terraced gardens surrounding the village and prepared, as the formula passed down by the organizers states, "in the most varied and unique ways." In documented editions from previous years, the menu has featured specialties such as:

• Homemade bread with tomato, the simplest and most beloved version;
• Gnocco alla sorrentina, gratinéed with fiordilatte cheese and basil;
• Caponata made with toasted bread, tomato, and olive oil;
• Tomato and mozzarella skewers;
• Scialatielli and other traditional Campanian pasta dishes;
• Local desserts and wines to conclude the evening.

The menu may change from year to year depending on product availability and the volunteers' choices: it is always a good idea to check the flyer for the current edition.

Live music, brass bands, and traditional games

Every evening has its own highlight. In recent editions, the «Città di Massa Lubrense» brass band, Neapolitan and Southern song groups, eighties-themed shows, and family entertainment with inflatables and magic for children have taken turns on the square's stage. Shows generally start between 8:30 PM and 9:00 PM, when the heat has subsided and the hillside offers a bit of coolness. Alongside the concerts are the traditional games, which remain an integral part of the festival in Torca.

Torca, the village between two gulfs

Torca stretches between sea level and 500 meters in altitude, overlooking the Gulf of Salerno, with views extending to the Li Galli islets and the Tore pine forest. The neighborhoods are arranged around the central square, where the church of San Tommaso Apostolo stands, dating back to the 14th century: it features a single nave with a frescoed vault, a dome and apse, an 18th-century high altar in polychrome marble, and, above it, a 1604 canvas depicting Jesus among the Apostles with Thomas touching his wounds. Next to the church is the oratory founded in 1696 and dedicated to the Virgin of the Rosary and Saint Philip Neri, featuring an altar in polychrome marble embellished with hard stones and lapis lazuli.

Trails to the Crapolla Fjord and Mount Torca also start from the village: those arriving in the afternoon can easily combine a scenic hike with the evening in the square.

Why it's worth the trip

In a stretch of coast where summer is synonymous with crowds, the Sant'Anna Feast and Tomato Festival in Torca offers the opposite experience: a village square, a band playing, the scent of tomato sauce, and a community that opens its doors to those who arrive. It is also the most direct way to understand what the cuisine of the Sorrento Peninsula is really like before it becomes a restaurant menu: few ingredients, grown just a few meters from where they are served.