Sausage and Local Products Festival (Monteleone Festival)

A festival in the shadow of the Swabian castle

The Sausage and Local Products Festival, known to locals simply as the Monteleone Festival, is one of the most anticipated gastronomic events of the summer in Marano di Napoli, a town in the metropolitan city of Naples, Campania. The festival takes place in August in the Monteleone district, a hilly area rising behind the town center along Via Castel Belvedere, just a short distance from the roundabout dedicated to Diego Armando Maradona.

The setting is truly unique: the Monteleone Castle, also known as the Belvedere Castle, a fortress traditionally attributed to Frederick II of Swabia and believed to have been built around 1227–1230 as a hunting residence for the Emperor. Destroyed and later rebuilt between 1275 and 1278 by Charles I of Anjou, it still retains its rectangular layout with a central courtyard, Angevin-era towers, and Gothic windows on the upper floor. Dining here, amidst glowing braziers and long communal tables, feels like stepping into a page of the history of the Kingdom of Naples.

What to eat

The signature dish is, of course, the grilled sausage, cooked in plain sight on the grills and served in a sandwich or on a plate, following the tradition of local Marano butchers. Surrounding this is a simple, honest menu built on the typical products of the Neapolitan hinterland.

• Grilled sausage, the absolute star of the event
• Fresh mozzarella and local dairy products
• Bruschetta and baked specialties
• Warm, fluffy graffe, the iconic fried pastry of Neapolitan street food
• Wine served with peaches, following the local summer custom

One of the hallmarks of the event, highlighted by organizers every year, is the wine offered to visitors: a gesture of hospitality that perfectly captures the convivial spirit of the festival, where people come not just to eat, but to enjoy each other's company late into the night.

Music, entertainment, and August evenings

The Monteleone Festival is about more than just food. Every evening, the castle courtyard hosts live music, featuring performers of classic and contemporary Neapolitan songs and popular entertainment suitable for all ages. The 2025 edition featured performances by Annamaria Colasanto, Romeo Barbaro, and the Marechiaro group led by Rosario Attanasio, drawing families and visitors from across the northern Naples area.

A festival born of solidarity

From its inception, the festival has been a charity event: it is promoted by the Sant'Alfonso Maria de' Liguori Parish of Monteleone together with the Macelleria Belvedere and a group of local volunteers, with proceeds supporting parish community activities. This focus on solidarity and community explains the event's longevity, which in 2025 reached the milestone of its twenty-first edition, cementing its status as a defining event of the Marano summer.

Monteleone, a village to discover

Attending the festival is also a great excuse to explore a lesser-known part of the province of Naples. Monteleone occupies a position that was strategic for centuries, on the border between the Byzantine Duchy of Naples and the Lombard Principality of Benevento. From the castle, the view opens up over the Marano plain and the Camaldoli hills. Marano di Napoli, with over fifty thousand inhabitants, is a populous city at the gates of the regional capital, yet the Monteleone district retains a rural character defined by vegetable gardens, dry-stone walls, and ancient farmhouses.

Why it's worth a visit

In a region famous for its festivals, the Monteleone event stands out for three reasons: the monumental setting of the Swabian-Angevin castle, the popular and free nature of the hospitality—free entry and complimentary wine—and the continuity of a tradition maintained for over twenty years by parish volunteers. It is an unpretentious yet authentic celebration, where the gastronomy of Campania is told through a product as simple as sausage.