The Village We Love
Eleven evenings of dialogue, flavours, and craftsmanship in the heart of the Sannio region
About The Village We Love
A Sannio village telling its own story
In Cusano Mutri, a mountain town in the province of Benevento overlooking the Matese massif, summer has an appointment like no other. The Village We Love is not a classic food festival: it is a collective narrative that the town tells about itself, its fields, its woods, and the hands that work them. Since 2024, the event has transformed Piazza Orticelli into an open-air laboratory of taste, crafts, and conversation, and in 2026 it reaches its third edition, scheduled from July 24 to August 3.
The guiding theme chosen for this year is clear from the title: “The earth gives, people create”. A theme that puts the inland areas of Campania at the centre, highlighting their small-scale agriculture and the creativity of those who choose to stay or return to produce in the mountains.
The Village Dialogues
Every evening, usually starting at 8:00 PM, the square becomes a space for discussion with the Village Dialogues: short meetings, designed for a general audience, covering the role of institutions, the future of agriculture, territorial regeneration, art, and innovation. We talk about what is really happening in the valley: Titerno truffles, pasture cheeses, Matese honey, oil, wine, and cultivated biodiversity.
The Producers' Agora
Right next to the dialogues is the Producers' Agora, the gastronomic heart of the event. It is a space for those who guard, cultivate, and transform the resources of the territory: cheesemakers, beekeepers, truffle hunters, bakers, craft brewers, olive growers, and winemakers. The products are not just on display: they are tasted, explained, and bought directly from those who made them. A formula that values the short supply chain and zero-kilometre produce, without rhetoric.
Crafts and artisan trades
The programme reserves plenty of space for manual skills: willow and wicker weaving, wood and stone carving, fabrics, embroidery, and crochet work by the local women, who in previous editions decorated alleys and squares with hundreds of handmade pieces. Live demonstrations allow you to see the object being born, not just purchase it.
Music from the Village
The Music from the Village section closes every evening with concerts that mix folk tradition and contemporary sounds: organetto and traditional Sannio dances, local bands, folk groups, and original projects. A way to keep people in the square until late at night, between a glass of wine and a dance.
Daytime excursions and experiences
The Village We Love does not only live at night. During the event, the valley opens up to visitors with activities by reservation: horseback riding along the Titerno river, river trekking in the gorges, truffle hunting with dogs, and visits to educational farms, apiaries, and craft breweries. Cusano Mutri is, after all, an ideal base for the Matese, between the Titerno gorges, the trails of Bocca della Selva, and the chestnut groves of Civitella Licinio.
A plastic-free event
Since its first editions, the event has chosen a plastic-free formula: paper and corn-fibre tableware, compostable materials, and careful waste management, with the support of the Titerno and Alto Tammaro Mountain Community. A consistency that fits well with the theme of the earth and its care.
Why come
- A stone village among the most characteristic of inland Campania, with alleys, arches, and stairways.
- Matese and Valle Telesina products told directly by the producers.
- Free entry to the square, family atmosphere, no large-event scale.
- The possibility of combining evenings in town with daytime excursions in the Matese Regional Park.
The Village We Love — edition 2026
Third edition: “The earth gives, people create”
The 2026 edition of The Village We Love raises the bar: eleven consecutive evenings, from July 24 to August 3, all in Piazza Orticelli in Cusano Mutri, in the Benevento Sannio. The chosen theme, “The earth gives, people create”, brings producers, artisans, administrators, and artists into dialogue around the future of the inland areas of Campania.
Every evening the structure is the same: a meeting of the Village Dialogues, the Producers' Agora dedicated to a symbolic product (truffle, cheeses, Matese honey, oil, wine, tomatoes, and ancient olive trees), and a concert in the Music from the Village section. Alongside, demonstrations of artisan trades and, during the day, excursions and farm experiences by reservation.
The event is organised by the Pro Loco of Cusano Mutri, Civitella Licinio, and Bocca della Selva with the Municipality of Cusano Mutri and the support of the Titerno and Alto Tammaro Mountain Community; the edition's image is signed by the artist Domizio Cassella. As in previous editions, the event is plastic-free.
Programme The Village We Love 2026
Friday, July 24
8:00 PM – Inauguration. Village Dialogues: “Places that are reborn. The role of institutions”, with Nino Lombardi, President of the Province of Benevento, and Pietro Crocco, Mayor of Cusano Mutri. Agora dedicated to truffles with Mirko D'Alessandro, Marino Ianiro, and Cosimo Caposso. Closing with the Tesolina Dance show.
Saturday, July 25
8:00 PM – Domenico Mennillo presents “Pastoralia”; Agora dedicated to artisan cheeses. Music with the Dazzle Band.
Sunday, July 26
8:00 PM – Dialogue on Matese honey by Vincenzo D'Andrea (Slow Food); presentation of the Fattoria dei Sogni; live music.
Monday, July 27
8:00 PM – Discussion on agricultural development with Maria Carmela Serluca, Regional Councillor for Agriculture; presentation of Jonna di Civitella; concert by the Organetto's Band.
Tuesday, July 28
8:00 PM – “The protagonists of new agriculture”, with Patrizia Iannella (CIA); Producers' Agora. Music with Silvano e gli elettroni.
Wednesday, July 29
8:00 PM – “Agriculture that changes”, with Orazio Iesce and Corrado Franci; stories from local producers.
Thursday, July 30
8:30 PM – “FateLAB: art as social change”, with Aneta Rybaczuk and Irene Di Muccio; showcase of artisan trades and woodworking.
Friday, July 31
Territorial regeneration with Mario Festa, President of Ru.De.Ri.; willow weaving demonstration; music with Madre Terra.
Saturday, August 1
Innovation in the vineyard with the presentation of the “Guardia del Campo” app; oil from Cerreto Sannita producers; concert by the Mastramigos.
Sunday, August 2
Dialogue with Slow Food Valle Telesina on biodiversity, tomatoes, and ancient olive trees; live by the Coscienze.
Monday, August 3
Grand finale with the concluding day “Sannio: land of infinite wonder”.
The programme may be subject to change: it is recommended to check for updates on the channels of the Pro Loco and the Municipality of Cusano Mutri.
Highlights The Village We Love 2026
- Inauguration Friday, July 24 at 8:00 PM with the President of the Province of Benevento and the Mayor of Cusano Mutri.
- Titerno Truffle Agora with local hunters.
- Evening dedicated to Matese honey curated by Slow Food.
- “The protagonists of new agriculture”: an evening on women producing in the mountains.
- Music from the Village every evening: Tesolina Dance, Dazzle Band, Organetto's Band, Silvano e gli elettroni, Madre Terra, Mastramigos, Coscienze.
- Grand finale Monday, August 3 with “Sannio: land of infinite wonder”.
- Plastic-free event, with compostable tableware.
Prices The Village We Love 2026
Practical information — The Village We Love
How to get there
By car: A1 Milan-Naples, Caianello exit, then SS 372 Telesina; or A16 and SS 372 from Benevento. Cusano Mutri is reached from the Telesina via the turn-off for Pietraroja/Cusano Mutri. By train: the most convenient station is Telese Terme-Cerreto Sannita (Caserta-Benevento line), about 20 km away, then bus or taxi. By plane: Naples Capodichino, about 80 km away.
Where it takes place
The evenings are held in Piazza Orticelli, in the historic centre of Cusano Mutri (BN). The village is hilly and has stone paving: comfortable shoes are recommended.
Entry and tastings
Access to the square and meetings is free. Tastings and street food from producers are purchased on-site. Daytime experiences (excursions, river trekking, truffle hunting, educational farms, brewery) are by reservation with individual operators, with rates set by them.
Where to stay
Cusano Mutri offers small accommodation facilities, farmhouses, and holiday homes in the historic centre and in the Bocca della Selva area; alternatives are available in Cerreto Sannita, Pietraroja, and Telese Terme, all a short distance away.
Information
Municipality of Cusano Mutri, tel. +39 0824 862003. Pro Loco of Cusano Mutri, Civitella Licinio, and Bocca della Selva on their respective social media channels.
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Where does it take place — The Village We Love
Piazza Orticelli
Piazza Orticelli, 82033 Cusano Mutri