Sant'Anna Festival

A devotion spanning centuries

The Sant'Anna Festival is the heart of summer in Savignano Irpino, a small town in the Cervaro Valley, located in the province of Avellino on the eastern edge of Campania. The cult of the Virgin Mary's mother has roots here dating back to the late 17th century, while the festival in its current form dates back to 1924; in 2024, the community celebrated its centenary. The liturgical memorial falls on July 26th, a date fixed by Pope Sixtus IV, and a calendar of events revolves around this day for weeks.

The religious program

Celebrations begin with the novena at the Mother Church, featuring the rosary and evening mass in the days leading up to the feast. The most intense moment is the penitential procession at dawn on July 26th: the faithful set off while it is still dark, starting from the Fontana Angelica area, and walk through the town amidst chants and prayers. This is followed by the day's solemn masses, often presided over by the diocesan bishop, and the grand evening procession with the statue of the Saint carried on shoulders through the historic center, accompanied by fireworks.

• Novena and preparatory masses at the Mother Church
• Penitential procession at dawn on July 26th
• Solemn masses and procession with the statue of Sant'Anna
• Mid-August candlelight procession

The secular program: bands, shows, and concerts

Alongside the religious program runs the secular one, curated by the Sant'Anna Festival Committee, which has spent decades managing fundraising, illuminations, staging, and musical guests. The town squares, from Piazza Umberto I to Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, become open-air stages: brass bands parade in the morning, exhibitions and cultural moments take place in the afternoon, and comedy shows and concerts occur late at night. Over the years, a diverse range of artists has performed, from Neapolitan folk music to rap, a sign of a festival that strives to speak to all generations.

The Sagra delle Orecchiette and the Ferragosto lottery

The Savignano calendar does not end in late July. In August, the festivities continue with the Sagra delle Orecchiette, one of the oldest gastronomic events in Irpinia: the first edition dates back to 1977, and the pasta is still handmade, served with meat ragù or in a tricolor version with cherry tomatoes and arugula, amidst dancing, music, and shows. The grand finale is traditionally marked by the Sant'Anna Lottery draw, which closes the festivities on the night of Ferragosto.

The festival of return

Anyone arriving in Savignano Irpino during the days of Sant'Anna immediately realizes this is not just an event: it is the moment the village repopulates. Families who emigrated to other Italian regions or abroad plan their holidays specifically for these dates; houses closed for months reopen, and the village streets fill with dialects and faces returning home. It is a dynamic common to many villages in the Irpinian Apennines, but here it takes on a special intensity, so much so that local news reports it every year as "the inevitable return of the emigrants."

Savignano Irpino and the Cervaro Valley

The village, with just over a thousand inhabitants, stretches along a ridge overlooking Puglia and the Daunian Sub-Apennines. The area is known for its ancient green marble, olive groves, and a still strongly agricultural landscape. During the festival days, it is worth combining participation in the celebrations with a walk through the alleys of the historic center, a stop at the churches, and a taste of local products, from cheeses and cured meats to the extra virgin olive oil of eastern Irpinia.