Stelle al Castello

A full night under the Lattari Mountains sky

Stelle al Castello is the summer event that every August brings families, hikers, and curious visitors to the top of Monte Pino, in the town of Pimonte, in the province of Naples. It is neither a concert nor a food festival: it is a night-long experience that begins in the late afternoon with a hike to the ruins of Castrum Pini and ends the following morning, as you pack up your tents while the Gulf of Naples lights up with the first rays of dawn.

The initiative was born from a desire to give back to the community a place that had remained on the margins for centuries: a medieval fortress at 632 meters above sea level, accessible only on foot, far from the hairpin turns that descend toward the Amalfi Coast. For one night, the castle comes back to life, and the mountain that the locals look at every day becomes a destination.

Castrum Pini, the Lombard sentinel

Castrum Pini—the castle of Pino from which the town takes its name—dates back in all likelihood to the 9th century, during the Lombard era. It was a strategic garrison built to defend the territories of Naples and the Amalfi Coast from Saracen raids, later expanded during the Norman and Angevin dominations. Today, sections of defensive walls and stone cisterns that collected rainwater—a precious resource on a peak without springs—remain.

The site is reached via the Zappino trail (CAI 332c): about 5.5 kilometers, a two-hour hike of medium-easy difficulty, through ancient oaks and Mediterranean scrub, with panoramic viewpoints stretching from the Lattari Mountains to the entire Campanian coast. It is this shared effort that sets the tone for the event: those who reach the top do so on their own two feet.

How the evening unfolds

• Hike to the castle in the late afternoon, departing from the town with guides along the trails.
• Communal sunset dinner, with the view over the Sorrento Peninsula changing colors by the minute.
• Astronomical observation with telescopes and stories from amateur astronomers: planets, constellations, and the great classics of the August sky.
• Games and social moments designed for children before darkness falls.
• Night in a tent at the foot of the walls, with a wake-up and descent the following morning.

Previous editions have seen surprising numbers for an event that can only be reached on foot: in August 2025, there were about 350 attendees, arriving from all over Campania as well as the hamlets of Pimonte.

Who promotes the event

Stelle al Castello is promoted by the Municipality of Pimonte as part of the municipal event calendar, managed by the Associazione Solo per Amore and funded by the Metropolitan City of Naples. Sky observations are curated by the astronomers of Astron Campania, while logistical support comes from local volunteers, particularly the committee of the Franche hamlet. Mayor Francesco Somma described the evening as a gathering of fun, conviviality, and a strong sense of community in the stunning landscape of the Lattari Mountains, amidst ancient woods and pristine nature.

Pimonte, the green oasis between Naples and the Coast

With just under six thousand inhabitants divided between the hamlets of Centro, Franche, Piazza, and Tralia, Pimonte is a small town in Campania nestled in the heart of the Lattari Mountains, halfway between the Vesuvius area and the Amalfi Coast. In recent years, the town has built its tourist identity around greenery and trails—it is no coincidence that the local promotion project is called Pimonte Oasi Verde—and Stelle al Castello has become its summer symbol, alongside the Sentieri del Gusto gastronomic festival and the Musica al Tramonto concerts.

Why it is worth participating

Those looking for a big stage and a star-studded lineup will not find it here. Stelle al Castello is something else: a slow way of being in the mountains, where medieval history, the near-perfect darkness of the altitude, and the company of other participants are worth more than any program. For many Campanian families, it is the children's first night in a tent; for hikers, it is the chance to see Castrum Pini at an hour one would never normally reach it.