Sant'Anna Festival

The Sant'Anna Festival in Caiazzo

In the heart of the Volturno Valley, the town of Caiazzo (Province of Caserta, Campania) dedicates the final days of July to the devotion of Saint Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary. It is one of those festivals that captures the soul of a village: no grand stages, but liturgy, hymns, the ringing of the co-cathedral bells, and the procession winding through the medieval alleys of the historic center. The liturgical feast falls on July 26th and in Caiazzo, it serves as the culmination of days of spiritual preparation lived with deep community participation.

The novena and the festival days

The journey toward the festival begins with the novena, which gathers the faithful every evening from July 17th to 25th at 7:00 PM in the Co-Cathedral Basilica of Maria SS. Assunta, in Piazza Santo Stefano, with Holy Mass and prayers in honor of the Saint. July 26th is the most anticipated day: the first Eucharistic liturgy is celebrated in the morning, while in the evening, the solemn Mass is followed by the procession along the traditional route through the village streets. The day concludes with the supplication to Saint Anne in Piazza Santo Stefano, a moment of intense collective emotion.

The Co-Cathedral Basilica, heart of the devotion

The celebrations center on the Co-Cathedral Basilica of Maria Santissima Assunta and Santo Stefano Vescovo, elevated to the dignity of a minor basilica in 2013. The building, reopened for worship after major restoration work, houses 18th-century paintings and is a fine example of late Neapolitan Baroque. For Caiazzo, it is not just a monument, but the identity-defining place where the community gathers during the most important moments of the liturgical year.

Caiazzo, a village in the Volturno Valley

Perched among olive groves and hills, Caiazzo is a village with ancient roots, built on a Roman-Samnite settlement and marked over the centuries by the passage of Lombards, Normans, and Swabians. Walking through its alleys, one encounters the Lombard Castle, the San Francesco complex, and the noble palaces of the historic center. The Sant'Anna festival is the ideal opportunity to discover this authentic corner of inland Campania, far from mass tourism circuits, where the sacred and village life still intertwine naturally.

A community festival

The Sant'Anna Festival in Caiazzo is, first and foremost, a community gathering: families, confraternities, and the faithful come together from generation to generation. Those visiting the village during these days can grasp the truest sense of a still-vibrant Campanian folk tradition, made of devotion, hospitality, and that profound bond between a town and its Saint.