Sant'Anna Festival
The traglia, wheat, and rural devotion in the heart of Irpinia
About Sant'Anna Festival
A tradition spanning nearly a century and a half
The Sant'Anna Festival is the most anticipated summer event in Melito Irpino, a small town in the Province of Avellino, Campania, nestled in the Ufita Valley at an altitude of about 460 meters. The 2026 edition marked the 148th anniversary: a milestone that speaks volumes about how deeply rooted this festival is in the life of the local community, bridging the agricultural world of the past with the present day. Saint Anne is the co-patron of the town alongside Saint Giles the Abbot and Saint Pio, and is invoked by mothers and farming families as the protector of the harvest.
The traglia and the wheat rituals
The symbolic heart of the festival is the traglia, the ancient wooden cart that was once pulled by oxen along the dirt roads of Irpinia. During the harvest, the tallest wheat stalks are carefully selected to decorate the cart. The traglia is loaded with wheat as a sign of offering and gratitude for the harvest, carrying the statue of Saint Anne in a collective procession of faith and appreciation through the town streets.
- Participants in traditional peasant costumes accompany the procession
- Local districts decorate alleys and courtyards with symbols of rural life
- The blessing of agricultural machinery: combine harvesters line up in front of the parish church and perform a symbolic bow to the Saint
The religious program
The festivities are preceded by a three-day preparation period at the Church of Saint Giles the Abbot. On the day of the solemnity, morning and evening masses are held, followed by a procession featuring the statue of Saint Anne, accompanied by the Bagnoli City Brass Band. The event also includes the blessing of expectant mothers and the presentation of commemorative medals to children born during the year—gestures that reinforce the bond between Saint Anne, motherhood, and the continuity of the community.
Evenings in the square
Alongside the liturgical program, a secular schedule is organized annually by the Parish Festival Committee and the municipal administration. Evenings take place in the historic center and Piazza degli Eroi, featuring artistic lighting, concerts, DJ sets, and comedy shows. Recent years have seen a mix of neomelodic and urban-pop groups, Montemarano tarantella orchestras, and well-known faces from Neapolitan comedy. The formula remains unchanged: folk music, dancing in the square, and a grand finale that keeps everyone, young and old, awake.
Gastronomy and artistic lights
Every evening, the town fills with food and wine stalls offering local specialties, particularly extra virgin olive oil and wine, two pillars of the Ufita Valley's local production. One evening is traditionally dedicated to a communal dinner along the main street, with tables set up outdoors between the houses—a simple yet effective way to turn the main road into a long, festive village banquet.
Melito Irpino, a village in the Ufita Valley
Melito Irpino has just under two thousand inhabitants and is one of the most characteristic towns in eastern Irpinia, rebuilt in the valley following the landslides that struck the old settlement, now known as Melito Vecchio. Visiting the town during the Sant'Anna Festival means witnessing an entire community reflecting itself in its own rituals: the wheat, the procession, the band, the communal table. It is the most authentic side of inland Campania, far from mass tourism circuits and just a short distance from Ariano Irpino and the villages of the Baronia.
Sant'Anna Festival — edition 2026
The 148th Sant'Anna Festival
The 2026 edition, presented in the preceding weeks by the Parish Festival Committee and the municipal administration of Melito Irpino, confirmed the traditional structure of the festival: a solid religious program, starting with the preparation triduum, and a secular program built over three consecutive evenings in the town center.
The central moment was Sunday, July 26, the solemnity of Saint Anne, with celebrations at the Church of Saint Giles the Abbot presided over by H.E. Mons. Massimiliano Palinoro, Bishop of Istanbul, followed by the procession with the statue of the Saint placed on the traglia, accompanied by the Bagnoli City Brass Band. This was followed by the blessing of agricultural machinery, with combine harvesters lined up before the church for the traditional symbolic bow.
Regarding entertainment, the festival alternated between folk music and comedy: the urban-pop-rap duo I Desideri, the Achille and the Montemarano Soloists Orchestra led by accordionist Achille D'Agnese, singer Patrizio with his father's repertoire, and, in closing, the comedy duo Arteteca (Monica Lima and Enzo Iuppariello) from Made in Sud. Food stalls remained open all three evenings along the center streets.
Programme Sant'Anna Festival 2026
Thursday, July 23 — Eve
- 6:30 PM — Start of the preparation triduum at the Church of Saint Giles the Abbot
Friday, July 24
- Lighting of artistic illuminations in the historic center
- "Dining along the Corso": communal dinner with tables set up along the main street
- Followed by a DJ set with DJ Mike
Saturday, July 25
- Piazza degli Eroi — Concert by the urban-pop-rap duo I Desideri
- Followed by a DJ set
Sunday, July 26 — Solemnity of Saint Anne
- 9:00 AM — Holy Mass at the Church of Saint Giles the Abbot
- 6:30 PM — Concelebration presided over by H.E. Mons. Massimiliano Palinoro, Bishop of Istanbul
- Followed by — Procession with the statue of Saint Anne on the wheat-laden traglia through the town streets, accompanied by the Bagnoli City Brass Band
- Blessing of agricultural machinery in front of the parish church and blessing of expectant mothers; presentation of commemorative medals to children born in 2025 and 2026
- Evening — Achille and the Montemarano Soloists Orchestra (Montemarano tarantella), then Patrizio and, in closing, the comedy duo Arteteca from Made in Sud
Food and wine stalls open all three evenings along the town center.
Highlights Sant'Anna Festival 2026
- The traglia laden with wheat stalks carrying the statue of Saint Anne in procession
- The blessing of agricultural machinery: combine harvesters lined up before the church performing a symbolic bow to the Saint
- Celebrations presided over by the Bishop of Istanbul, Mons. Massimiliano Palinoro
- The "Dining along the Corso" communal dinner on Friday evening
- The grand finale with the Achille and the Montemarano Soloists Orchestra and the comedy duo Arteteca
Prices Sant'Anna Festival 2026
Practical information — Sant'Anna Festival
How to get there
By car: take the Grottaminarda exit on the A16 Naples-Canosa motorway, then follow the SS90 road towards Ariano Irpino (about 15 minutes). It is approximately 45 km from Avellino. By train: the nearest station is Ariano Irpino-Montecalvo, on the Benevento-Foggia line, connected by local bus services. Nearest airport: Naples-Capodichino, about 100 km away.
Where it takes place
Religious rites are held at the Church of Saint Giles the Abbot; evening shows take place in Piazza degli Eroi and along the main street of the town center.
Tips
- The procession with the traglia is a must-see: arrive in town early, as spots along the route fill up quickly.
- Park in the areas outside the center: central streets are closed to traffic during the evenings.
- For overnight stays, the widest range of accommodation is found in Ariano Irpino and Grottaminarda, both just a few kilometers away.
- Updated information: Municipality of Melito Irpino, tel. +39 0825 472085.
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Where does it take place — Sant'Anna Festival
Chiesa di Sant'Egidio Abate e Piazza degli Eroi