The Ancient Maddalena Fair meets the Ancient Sounds

A fair dating back to the 17th century

Some events are not born from marketing offices, but from a centuries-old farming calendar. The Ancient Maddalena Fair in Laurito is one of these: historical archives document its existence as far back as the late 1600s, when the fair marked the days dedicated to the cult of the Madonna del Carmine, bringing together shepherds, breeders, and merchants from the Cilento hinterland. After a long silence, the Municipality of Laurito revived it to boost local agricultural activity and support a mountain economy that was at risk of disappearing. Today, the event is known as The Ancient Maddalena Fair meets the Ancient Sounds, as the traditional market is now accompanied by an evening dedicated to folk music and devotional chants.

Two days, two souls

The event's structure is clear and distinct. The first day belongs to the village: Piazza San Giovanni Battista fills with craft and food stalls, and by evening, it becomes the stage for the "Ancient Sounds," featuring devotional singing and folk groups. The second day belongs to the countryside: it begins before dawn, when the local herds are moved toward the Maddalena area, the high ground outside the town where the fair has always been held. The fair officially opens at eight in the morning, and the morning concludes with the awarding of the animals and a convivial lunch accompanied by traditional music.

Ancient Sounds: the voice of Cilento

The musical section is no mere backdrop. The devotional chants performed by the Signore di Novi Velia—with the patronage of the Municipality of Novi Velia—belong to an oral repertoire linked to the pilgrimage to the Sacro Monte, one of the most deeply rooted devotions in Cilento, also practiced by the communities of Laurito. Alongside them are folk groups from the area, such as I Valcalore, who bring tammorre (traditional frame drums), accordions, and traditional dances to the square. This is music born in the fields and processions, not in conservatories: listening to it in a mountain square seven hundred kilometers from the capitals of world music is an experience worth the trip.

Transhumance, goats, and Podolica cows

The heart of the fair remains zootechnical. The moving of the herds at dawn recalls the gestures of transhumance, the pastoral practice recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, which has left deep traces in Cilento's toponyms, paths, and cuisine. The fair explicitly aims to conserve local animal species: the Cilentana goat and the Podolica cow, rustic breeds adapted to the poor pastures of the southern Apennines and the basis for cheeses found nowhere else. The mid-morning animal awards ceremony is the moment when breeders publicly measure a full year's work.

Laurito, a village at 475 meters

Laurito has a few hundred inhabitants and sits at an altitude of approximately 475 meters, within the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, in the province of Salerno (Campania). Its history dates back to the Middle Ages, when the settlement began as a defensive outpost, and it retains clear traces of Greek-Byzantine colonization in its dialect and toponymy. The patron saint is Saint Philip of Agira, celebrated on May 12, but the local calendar is full: Madonna del Carmine, Madonna del Cielo, inter-municipal carnival, bonfires, and winter markets.

At the table: the cuisine of the Cilento hinterland

Visitors to the fair will find the simple, stubborn cuisine of this part of Campania in the stalls and homes. Local specialties include cauzuni, pasta filled with ricotta, parsley, and egg; minghiarieddi and cavateddi made with chestnut flour; mozzarelle ind'à murtidda, preserved in myrtle; and mastacciuoli, a sweet associated with weddings.

• Cilentana goat cheeses and Podolica caciocavallo
• Homemade pasta with local flours, including chestnut
• Rural craft products in the square's stalls

Why go

This is not a festival built for tourists: it is a real fair, with real animals, that welcomes visitors. Those willing to get up at five in the morning to follow the herds along the climb to Maddalena will take home the strongest memory of their entire Cilento summer.