Scamorza Festival

An evening dedicated to scamorza

The Scamorza Festival is one of the most anticipated summer events in Santa Croce del Sannio, a small town in the province of Benevento, Campania. Every year, around August 17th, the Pro Loco Santa Croce del Sannio transforms Piazza Roma into a large open-air kitchen to celebrate the cheese that best represents this corner of the Sannio: scamorza, a sweet and firm cow's milk stretched-curd cheese, produced here for generations.

Scamorza, a product of these mountains

In the upper Tammaro valley, livestock farming is not just a folkloric memory but a living activity, and scamorza is the most direct way the milk from these hills reaches the table. The festival offers it in all the ways local cuisine has always used it:

• Fresh, sliced, to appreciate its elastic texture and delicate flavor;
• Smoked, more intense and amber-colored, the most recognizable traditional format;
• Grilled, lightly seared, where the crust turns golden and the heart becomes melty;
• As an accompaniment, served with homemade bread, cured meats, and local vegetables from area producers.

The result is a simple menu based on a few locally sourced ingredients: exactly the spirit of Sannio village festivals, where the quality of the raw material matters more than the complexity of the dish.

Piazza Roma, the stage for the celebration

Everything is concentrated in Piazza Roma, in the heart of the village. In recent editions, the stalls have opened around 8:00 PM and closed around 11:00 PM: three hours during which the town fills with residents, families returning for the August holidays, and visitors from neighboring towns. Live music accompanies the evening, following a tried-and-tested formula that combines tasting and entertainment without the need for elaborate setups.

A piece of the Santacrocese Summer

The Scamorza Festival is not an isolated event: it is part of the Santacrocese Summer, the calendar that the Pro Loco builds from the last Sunday of July until the end of August, bringing together food festivals, theatrical evenings, excursions on the Regio Tratturo — the ancient transhumance route that passes through these parts — and sporting events. A few days earlier, on August 13th, the Lamb Festival is held, dedicated to the meat of animals raised on pasture along the trail: the two festivals are historically the pillars of the summer program and are often announced together.

Over forty years of history

Continuity is the hallmark of this celebration. Local records document the 37th edition in 2019, the 40th in 2024, and the 41st in 2025, paired with the 47th Lamb Festival: a tradition started in the eighties and never interrupted except during the period of health restrictions. For a town of a few hundred inhabitants, this is a remarkable result, which says a lot about the role of the Pro Loco as the engine of the town's social life.

Why it is worth a detour

Those visiting the Sannio in August will find here the opposite of mass tourism: a hillside village, a square, and a cheese told by those who produce it. It is also a good starting point for exploring the upper Tammaro valley and the border with Molise, among trails, woods, and villages that retain an intact rural layout.

2026 Edition

At the moment, the Pro Loco has not yet released the official dates and program for the 2026 edition. Given the regularity of the event, it is reasonable to expect a new evening around mid-August: it is advisable to follow the social media channels of the Pro Loco Santa Croce del Sannio and the Municipality's communications for confirmation.