Scazzatiello Castellese Festival

A festival in the heart of the Cilento hinterland

Every summer, Castel San Lorenzo, a village of just over two thousand inhabitants perched 358 meters above the Calore Valley in the province of Salerno, dedicates several evenings to the Scazzatiello Castellese Festival. The event is organized by the Pro Loco of Castel San Lorenzo with the patronage of the Municipality and UNPLI. It takes place along Via Noele, in the upper part of the town that overlooks the entire valley—one of the most picturesque natural balconies in this corner of Campania, located within the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park.

The scazzatiello, the village's signature pasta

The absolute protagonist is the scazzatiello (locally known as cavatieddu), a short, ridged fresh pasta shape. Similar to the Cilento cavatello, it is pressed with the fingers to create a deep central hollow designed to hold the sauce. It is made with durum wheat semolina and water, without eggs, following an ancient recipe passed down primarily by the village women, the guardians of traditional cuisine. The Scazzatiello Castellese is included in the Regional List of Traditional Agri-food Products of Campania: a recognition that certifies its historical roots in the territory. The most iconic topping remains the mutton ragù, but the festival also offers versions with tomato sauce or pumpkin and sausage.

At the table: the festival menu

The format is the tried-and-tested village festival style: you purchase tickets, collect your plates at the stalls, and take a seat at the long tables set up along the street. In recent editions, the menu has included:

• Appetizer of local products, including cheeses, cured meats, and homemade bread
• Scazzatielli with tomato sauce, the festival's signature dish
• Scazzatielli with pumpkin and sausage, a more recent but now highly requested variation
• Curieddu and marzafegatu, traditional Cilento peasant dishes
• Sausage and fries, side dishes, dessert, bread, water, and wine

The stalls open in the late afternoon and dinner continues until late at night, with a slow, convivial pace that is an integral part of the experience.

Folk music, crafts, and conviviality

Alongside the gastronomy, every evening features live folk and traditional music performances, with bands playing the traditional repertoire of the South: tarantellas, tammurriatas, and songs from the Calore Valley get both visitors and residents dancing in the street. The experience is completed by local craft exhibitions, producer stalls, and demonstrations of handmade pasta making, where you can watch the technique used to shape the scazzatiello up close.

The DOC Castel San Lorenzo wine

The festival is also an opportunity to taste the wines of the municipality, which gives its name to a Controlled Designation of Origin: the DOC Castel San Lorenzo includes several varieties, including Barbera, Moscato, and Rosso. Viticulture, along with the olive growing of the Colline Salernitane PDO, has always been one of the pillars of the village's economy, and a glass of local red wine is the natural companion for a plate of scazzatielli.

The village and its Pro Loco

Castel San Lorenzo is a medieval village located about 26 kilometers from the Tyrrhenian coast, crossed by the Calore Lucano river, whose winding course is appreciated by canoeing and rafting enthusiasts. In June 2026, the local Pro Loco celebrated fifty years of activity: founded with about twenty members, it now has over nine hundred and, beyond the festival, promotes the local heritage, from the Mulino del Principe (1579) to the trails along the valley.

Why it's worth the trip

In a Cilento often identified only with its beaches, the Scazzatiello Castellese Festival tells the story of the hinterland: a humble dish made of semolina and water, the village street turned into a dining room, and an entire community welcoming you. It is the most direct way to understand the cuisine of this part of Campania, far from the most crowded tourist circuits.