Sports Week

The town becomes a playground

For one week in the height of summer, Santa Maria a Vico undergoes a transformation: the town squares and public spaces are filled with basketball hoops, nets, table tennis tables, and makeshift courts, turning the town into an open-air sports village. The Sports Week is one of the most popular events in the summer calendar of this town in the province of Caserta, in Campania, and for years it has successfully engaged children, teenagers, adults, and entire families alike.

The formula is simple and winning: it is not an event to watch, but an event to play. Those who want to participate sign up for the tournaments, while those who prefer to watch find a lively hub until late in the evening, with stalls, information points, and music. The result is a community celebration that goes far beyond the competitive results.

Disciplines and tournaments

The program changes from year to year, but the event's repertoire is now well-established. Documented editions have featured:

• Street basketball and outdoor basketball tournaments
• Beach volleyball on courts set up in the square
• Football tennis, human table football, and foosball
• Table tennis, bocce, and popular board games
• E-sports and video game tournaments for younger participants
• Entertainment, inflatables, and recreational activities for children

Alongside the actual tournaments, there are moments of social interaction and educational opportunities: various editions have featured meetings dedicated to sports and healthy eating, team presentations, and evenings led by local athletic trainers.

A manifestation born from a memory

The Sports Week also carries an emotional history. The event is linked to the Marameo group, a name that commemorates a young local basketball player who passed away prematurely: from that memory, a staff of volunteers was born, which still supports the municipal administration in organizing the event today. This is one of the reasons why in Santa Maria a Vico, this appointment is not perceived as a simple sports review, but as a shared heritage of the town.

Evenings in Piazza Roma

Piazza Roma, the civic heart of the town, is the reference point for the week and traditionally hosts the closing evening. The finale brings together the awards ceremony for tournament winners, recognition plaques for collaborating associations and citizens, and a musical show that turns the square into a grand stage. In the 2025 edition, the final evening was entrusted to DJ and television personality Andrea Damante; previous editions featured artists from the Neapolitan scene and local DJs.

Who organizes it

The event is promoted by the Municipality of Santa Maria a Vico through the Department of Major Events, in collaboration with the local Pro Loco, the Event Council associations, and the Marameo staff. The coordination involves dozens of volunteers, without whom it would be impossible to manage multiple playing fields and different age groups simultaneously.

Where it takes place: Santa Maria a Vico

Santa Maria a Vico is located in the eastern part of the province of Caserta, along the historic Appian Way, a short distance from the border with the Naples area. It is a flatland town, well-connected and easily reachable from Caserta, Nola, and Benevento: a position that, on summer evenings, also draws audiences from neighboring towns. Visitors from outside will find a compact center that is easy to explore on foot, with the possibility of rounding off the evening with a gastronomic stop at the pizzerias and bars along the main street.

Who it is for

The Sports Week is above all a festival for families and young people: the tournaments are open to local amateur teams, access to the spaces is free, and the atmosphere remains that of a village festival—informal and noisy in the best sense of the word. For those visiting inland Campania in July, it is a direct way to see how a community experiences its public space in the summer, far from the most beaten tourist paths.