Summer Truffle Festival

Two summer evenings celebrating the Scorzone

Summer Truffle Festival is the event through which the Ceppaloni Truffle Hunters Association brings truffles to the table in the heart of the hot season, when the famous prized white truffle of Sannio is not yet available. The event takes place in San Giovanni di Ceppaloni, a hamlet in the municipality of Ceppaloni, in the province of Benevento, Campania, and has maintained its classic format for years: a two-day convivial gathering in the "Giovanni Paolo II" open-air theater. In 2026, the festival reached its sixth edition.

Why the Scorzone and not the white truffle

Ceppaloni has long been known for Tuber magnatum Pico, the prized white truffle: an extraordinary but expensive product that is, above all, only available from October to December. However, the subsoil of this hilly strip offers more than just that. The local truffle hunters, who are growing in number, have chosen to promote the consumption of the summer black truffle, better known as Scorzone: it is more accessible, available during the hot months, and capable of creating fragrant dishes without breaking the bank. Summer Truffle Festival was born precisely from this idea of gastronomic education.

The festival menu

The kitchen is the heart of the event. The offering from the association's volunteers is essential and recognizable:

• fresh fusilli with truffle, fresh pasta seasoned with Scorzone;
• scrambled eggs with truffle, one of the simplest and most effective ways to enhance its aroma;
• truffle sausage, which combines the underground fungus with the Sannio pork tradition;
• various seasonal side dishes;
• local wine.

For those who do not like truffles, alternative dishes without truffle are also provided. The price, as noted by the local press, remains deliberately popular: the goal is to let as many people as possible taste the product, not to create an elite event.

The "Giovanni Paolo II" theater

The venue is the open-air theater (also referred to as an amphitheater) "Giovanni Paolo II" in San Giovanni di Ceppaloni, a space already used by the association in previous editions. It is a practical choice that also reflects the local identity: dining under the summer sky, with tables arranged in the performance area and the ability to calmly manage the influx of visitors arriving from Benevento and neighboring municipalities.

A territory that lives by truffles

The municipality of Ceppaloni, covering just over twenty square kilometers stretching between the Sabato river valley and the Serretelle stream, about thirteen kilometers from Benevento, is recognized as one of the Italian Cities of the Truffle. The "Ceppaloni truffle" is also listed among the Traditional Agri-food Products, with a production area that also includes San Leucio del Sannio, Arpaise, and Apollosa. It is no coincidence that the local calendar revolves around this product: alongside Summer Truffle Festival in July, there is Truffle in the Village in autumn, the November kermesse featuring tastings, exhibitions, and meetings in the castle and the historic center of the town.

What atmosphere to expect

This is not a fair with large pavilions: Summer Truffle Festival is a village festival, managed directly by the truffle hunters and their families, where the quality of the dish counts more than the scenery. It is the perfect opportunity to understand what the Scorzone really is, to ask questions to those who search for it in the woods with their dogs, and to taste Sannio cuisine on a summer evening without formalities. Those traveling in Campania in summer will find an authentic gastronomic experience here just minutes from Benevento.