Serrara Fontana Carnival

A local carnival on the rooftop of Ischia

Serrara Fontana is the smallest and highest municipality on the island of Ischia, in the province of Naples, Campania: just under seven square kilometers rising from the sea at Sant'Angelo to the slopes of Mount Epomeo, with the hamlets of Serrara, Fontana, Succhivo, Ciglio, and Noia scattered along the mountainside. Here, Carnival is not about grand floats, but a community celebration: two afternoons where the village squares and clearings fill with costumed children, confetti, and music, coordinated by the local administration and community associations.

The Succhivo treasure hunt

The first event traditionally takes place in the village of Succhivo, the hamlet that descends toward Sant'Angelo. It is organized by the Gertrud Streicher Association, under the patronage of the Municipality of Serrara Fontana. The heart of the day is the team treasure hunt, a historic appointment that reached its tenth consecutive year in 2026.

• Teams are divided into two categories: junior (ages 9 to 14) and senior (ages 15 and up).
• The course is designed for more than just play: the challenges lead participants through places, stories, and corners of the territory that often remain off the island's main tourist circuits.
• The competition is surrounded by games, entertainment, and traditional seasonal sweets, from fried pizzette to warm graffe.

This is the most identity-defining part of the festival: a way to introduce Succhivo to its own residents while bringing generations together, as the senior category has no upper age limit.

The party at the Fontana multipurpose area

The second event falls on Shrove Tuesday and is held in the Fontana multipurpose area, the municipal space that has become the hub for village events in recent years. The program is tailored to the little ones: puppet theater shows by the historic Ferraiolo company, one of the most renowned names in the Neapolitan tradition, open the afternoon with two performances, followed by baby dancing, entertainment, mascots, gadgets, and games.

Since it is February and the village sits at nearly 800 meters above sea level, the organizers always provide the option to move activities indoors in case of bad weather: a practical detail that highlights the nature of the event, designed so that no one has to stay home.

The Ischian Carnival, village by village

During the Carnival days, the entire island of Ischia comes alive: Ischia, Casamicciola Terme, Lacco Ameno, Forio, Barano d'Ischia, and Serrara Fontana each build their own program across squares, schools, and parishes. Serrara Fontana has chosen the path of a widespread, child-friendly festival, without floats or tickets, playing on the complementarity between the Succhivo and Fontana afternoons. For those visiting the island in the low season, it is one of the few opportunities to see the high villages vibrant and animated outside the summer months.

Why it's worth the trip

• It is free and completely open: just show up, preferably in costume.
• The puppet theater is an increasingly rare form of popular entertainment, presented here by a historic company.
• The treasure hunt is an excellent excuse to explore Succhivo and the paths connecting the hamlets of Serrara Fontana on foot.
• The setting is that of the less "postcard-perfect" Ischia: alleys, stairs, terraces, and views over the sea of Sant'Angelo.

A growing tradition

Born as a neighborhood initiative centered around the Succhivo treasure hunt, the Serrara Fontana Carnival has progressively structured itself into two distinct days, with the addition of the Fontana multipurpose area. The formula works because it preserves the local, intimate dimension: the goal declared by the Administration remains to bring the municipality's families together with masks, music, entertainment, games, and smiles.