St. Lucy's Turnip, Potato and Cicci Festival + Christmas Markets in the Village

St. Lucy, the most heartfelt festival in Cesinali

In Cesinali, a small town in the province of Avellino nestled in the hills overlooking the Sabato Valley, the feast of St. Lucy has always been the most anticipated event of the year. During the first half of December, the town comes alive with religious and secular celebrations, culminating in the liturgical feast on December 13th and the St. Lucy's Turnip, Potato and Cicci Festival, a grand popular banquet that accompanies the Christmas Markets in the Village. This festival was not created as a tourist attraction; it is rooted in the community's own calendar, blending devotion to the patron saint of eyesight with the humble, traditional cuisine of Irpinia.

The festival dishes: turnips and potatoes, cicci, and cornmeal pizza

The festival menu is a recipe book of Irpinian peasant culture, featuring dishes traditionally prepared when winter demanded seasonal legumes, grains, and vegetables. The Municipality of Cesinali itself highlights these as its signature local dishes:

• Turnips and potatoes — turnip greens sautéed with potatoes, traditionally served with pizza di granone (traditional cornmeal bread) and peppers;
• St. Lucy's Cicci — the iconic dish of December 13th, made with slow-cooked legumes and cereals seasoned with peppers: a specialty prepared only during this time of year;
• Grilled pork and mortadella — the most convivial part of the evening, cooked outdoors in front of the stands;
• Tripe — another winter classic of the Irpinian table, a must-have at December festivals.

Local wine is always on the table: we are just a few kilometers from the hills of Fiano di Avellino DOCG, and hazelnuts remain another key product of this area of Irpinia.

The village transformed into a Christmas wonderland

In recent editions, the festival has joined forces with the Christmas Markets in the Village: the historic center fills with small wooden houses and stalls offering handicrafts, decorations, sweets, and local gastronomic products. The route is designed primarily for families, featuring Santa's House where children can drop off their letters, performances by zampognari (bagpipers) — a sound that in Campania still signals the start of the Christmas season — and evening entertainment and music in the square. Admission to the village and the markets is free: you can stroll through the illuminated streets and stop at the festival stands whenever you get hungry.

The religious aspect: triduum, solemn mass, and procession

The devotional heart of the festival remains unchanged. The days leading up to December 13th are marked by the triduum of preparation with evening mass; on the day of the Saint, a solemn mass is celebrated, followed by a procession with the statue of St. Lucy through the streets of the town, accompanied by the local band and the townspeople. The Municipality also highlights the tradition of the focarone, a large bonfire around which the community gathers to spend the evening together: one of the many ritual fires in Campania that mark the transition toward the winter solstice.

Cesinali, a village to discover in Irpinia

With just over two thousand inhabitants and an altitude of about 380 meters, Cesinali is part of the first belt of towns south of Avellino, in Campania. The churches of San Silvestro and San Rocco are the two poles around which the town's religious life revolves, while the local calendar also includes other deeply felt traditions, from the feast of San Rocco in summer to the Zeza Carnival. Visiting in December means finding an intimate village, free from the crowds of large-scale events, where the festival is truly experienced alongside the locals.

Organizers

The event is promoted by the Municipal Administration of Cesinali in collaboration with the Pro Loco and the St. Lucy Festival Committee, who work every year to create a calendar that perfectly balances spirituality, gastronomic tradition, and Christmas atmosphere.