Tra Lucciole e Stelle in Apollosa

A traveling festival in the heart of Sannio

Tra Lucciole e Stelle is one of the longest-running cultural festivals in the Campania hinterland: in 2025, it reached its 22nd edition, confirming a formula that blends classical and symphonic music, singer-songwriter performances, theater, archaeology, visual arts, and food and wine. It is not a festival concentrated in a single location, but a journey that crosses multiple villages, moving the stage to a different square each night. The Municipality of Apollosa, in the province of Benevento, is a permanent fixture of this itinerary.

The Apollosa stops

In Apollosa, events are held in the town's two most iconic squares. Piazzetta Sant'Anna, named after the town's patron saint, becomes a natural amphitheater nestled among the center's houses; Piazza Grasso, which is larger, hosts concerts designed to keep the audience dancing and singing until late. Shows typically start at 9:00 PM, when the day's heat has faded and the town fills with families, residents, and visitors from neighboring municipalities.

The music

The program in Apollosa focuses primarily on Italian and Mediterranean folk music, with ensembles that reinterpret the great repertoire of Italian singer-songwriters. In 2025, for example, the Salzano's Band took the stage with a tribute to Lucio Battisti, followed by the band Area Medina, offering a mix of rhythm, energy, and Mediterranean sounds. Other stops on the festival tour also feature the Campania Symphony Orchestra, traditional folk repertoires, and meetings with major opera stars.

A network of six municipalities

The project is promoted by a network of municipal administrations with the Municipality of Arpaise acting as the lead partner, alongside Apollosa, Ceppaloni, San Nicola Manfredi, Chianche, and Pietrastornina: a territory stretching from Sannio down toward Irpinia. The artistic direction is entrusted to Maestro Leonardo Quadrini. The festival is co-funded by the Regione Campania using resources from the 2021-2027 Development and Cohesion Fund (FSC), as part of the Strategic Plan for Culture and Tourism.

Atmosphere and flavors

• Outdoor concerts in the historic squares, starting in the evening
• Food and wine stands featuring typical products of Sannio during the festival evenings
• Intergenerational, local audience, with the typical atmosphere of a village festival
• Traveling formula: those interested can follow multiple stops in neighboring towns

Why it's worth an evening

Apollosa is not a mass tourism destination: it is a hillside town in the inland Campania region that lives at a slow pace, and that is precisely why "Tra Lucciole e Stelle" offers such an authentic experience. Listening to a concert in a square where everyone knows each other, with the scent of street food and the lights glowing on stone walls, is the most direct way to understand how Sannio experiences its summer. The festival is also a deliberate cultural choice: bringing high-quality music where it normally doesn't reach, and showcasing villages as venues for live performance.