Transumanti - Stories, Flavours, Traditions
The festival of transhumance and Cilento shepherding in Novi Velia
About Transumanti
A festival born to tell the story of transhumance
Transumanti - Stories, Flavours, Traditions is an event held at the end of June in Novi Velia, a mountain village in the Cilento hinterland in the province of Salerno, Campania. The heart of the event is Piazza Cafasso, which transforms for three days into a small pastoral village filled with stalls, workshops, exhibition spaces, and open-air stages. The festival is promoted by the Modalità ON Cultural Association in collaboration with the Municipality of Novi Velia.
The chosen theme is no coincidence: transhumance, the seasonal migration of flocks and shepherds along ancient paths, was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2019. In Novi Velia, at the foot of Monte Gelbison and within the Cilento National Park, this practice is not just history; it is the living memory of families who still process milk, tend to pastures, and traverse the ridge trails today.
Conferences, exhibitions, and the pagliarieddo
The cultural portion of the festival is built around thematic conferences dedicated to the ecological value of natural pastures and permanent meadows, and the role that shepherds played in the past and continue to play today in inland communities. Alongside the conferences, there is an art exhibition featuring paintings that depict scenes of agrarian life, both past and present.
The most picturesque moment is the live reconstruction of a pagliarieddo, the mobile dwelling that Cilento shepherds carried with them during seasonal migrations: a plant-based structure assembled on-site in front of the audience. It is accompanied by master bell-ringers, who make the traditional pastoral cowbells resonate.
The flavours: cheeses, mozzarella, and cavatielli
The gastronomic dimension is one of the reasons the festival has grown so quickly. One day is dedicated to artisan shepherd-cheesemakers, with guided tastings led by ONAF master tasters (National Organization of Cheese Tasters): a journey that explains, cheese by cheese, how milk changes depending on the pasture, the season, and the hands of those who process it.
At the stalls, you can sample freshly prepared specialties, including:
- Mozzarella inda i filici, wrapped in ferns according to Cilento tradition
- Handmade cavatielli, served with sauce and salted ricotta
- Fried pizza and pizza with menaica anchovies
- Traditional peasant desserts, local wines, and draft beer
Folk music evenings
Every evening, the square fills with traditional Southern Italian music. Past editions have featured performances by Manuel Scarpitta, the Cortazzo Trio, and Maestro Alessandro Gaudio, featuring tammurriate, tarantellas, and work songs that belong to the same world described in the daytime conferences. Dancing in the square until late at night is an integral part of the experience.
Why it is worth visiting Novi Velia
Novi Velia is one of the highest villages in Cilento, the historic starting point for the pilgrimage to the sanctuary of the Madonna del Monte Gelbison. Arriving here at the end of June means finding cool air, views that stretch down to the sea of Velia, and a village that gathers around its festival. Admission to the event and the exhibition area is free: you only pay for food and guided tastings.
It is an event designed for families, for those who enjoy slow cultural tourism, and for anyone who wants to understand, without folkloric filters, what shepherding in Campania really means today. The 2026 edition was also part of the FAO celebrations for the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, which gave the festival an international framework.
Transumanti — edition 2026
Transumanti 2026: the second edition
From June 26 to 28, 2026, Novi Velia hosted the second edition of Transumanti - Stories, Flavours, Traditions, promoted by the Modalità ON Cultural Association. The heart of the event was once again Piazza Cafasso, transformed into a journey dedicated to the world of shepherding.
The 2026 edition took on a special significance: it was part of the FAO celebrations for the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, broadening the local discussion to an international perspective. The common thread remained transhumance, a UNESCO intangible heritage since 2019.
Culture, flavours, and music
The program alternated between thematic conferences on the ecological value of natural pastures and permanent meadows and the role of the shepherd yesterday and today, an art exhibition with paintings of agrarian life, and the live construction of a pagliarieddo, the mobile dwelling of Cilento shepherds, accompanied by the performance of master bell-ringers.
Saturday was dedicated to shepherd-cheesemakers, with a guided tasting led by ONAF master tasters. At the stalls, visitors could sample specialties prepared on-site, from mozzarella inda i filici to cavatielli, and fried pizzas. The three evenings were enlivened by traditional music with Manuel Scarpitta, the Cortazzo Trio, and Maestro Alessandro Gaudio.
Admission to the event and the exhibition area was free, while food and guided tastings were paid.
Programme Transumanti 2026
Friday, June 26, 2026
- Opening of the exhibition area and food stalls in Piazza Cafasso
- Art exhibition with paintings dedicated to agrarian life, past and present
- Evening: live folk music
Saturday, June 27, 2026
- Thematic conferences on the ecological value of natural pastures and permanent meadows and the role of the shepherd yesterday and today
- Day dedicated to shepherd-cheesemakers
- Guided tasting of cheeses and dairy products led by ONAF master tasters
- Live construction of the pagliarieddo, the mobile dwelling of Cilento shepherds, with a performance by master bell-ringers
- Traditional street food: mozzarella inda i filici, cavatielli, fried pizzas
- Evening: live folk music
Sunday, June 28, 2026
- Continuation of exhibition routes and stall tastings
- Closing evening with traditional music
Artists of the three evenings
- Manuel Scarpitta
- Cortazzo Trio
- Maestro Alessandro Gaudio
The exact times of individual appointments were released by the organization on the social channels of the Modalità ON association.
Highlights Transumanti 2026
- Live reconstruction of the pagliarieddo, the mobile home of Cilento shepherds
- Performance by master bell-ringers with traditional pastoral cowbells
- Guided ONAF tasting dedicated to cheeses from shepherd-cheesemakers
- Conferences on the ecological value of pastures and the role of the shepherd today
- Painting exhibition on Cilento agrarian life
- Three evenings of folk music with Manuel Scarpitta, the Cortazzo Trio, and Alessandro Gaudio
- FAO framework of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists
Prices Transumanti 2026
Practical information — Transumanti
Where it takes place
Piazza Cafasso, in the center of Novi Velia (SA), 84060 — province of Salerno, Campania, within the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park.
How to get there
- By car: A2 del Mediterraneo motorway, Battipaglia exit, then SS18 towards Vallo della Lucania and local provincial roads to Novi Velia. It is about 100 km from the provincial capital, Salerno.
- By train: Vallo della Lucania-Castelnuovo station on the Tyrrhenian line, then bus or taxi for the climb to Novi Velia (about 10 km).
- By plane: Salerno-Costa d'Amalfi airport or Naples-Capodichino, then continue by car.
Admission and costs
Admission to the event and the exhibition area is free. Gastronomic items at the stalls and guided tastings led by ONAF master tasters are paid.
Tips
- Novi Velia is located at an altitude of about 650 meters: even in June, evenings can be cool, so it is best to bring a light jacket.
- The historic center is uphill and has stone paving: comfortable shoes are recommended.
- Park in the areas on the outskirts of the village and reach Piazza Cafasso on foot.
- It is worth combining your visit with the sanctuary of the Madonna del Sacro Monte Gelbison and the archaeological site of Velia, which are nearby.
Contacts
Modalità ON Cultural Association — email [email protected] — Facebook page "Associazione Modalità ON". Information is also available from the Municipality of Novi Velia.
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Where does it take place — Transumanti
Piazza Cafasso
Piazza Cafasso, 84060 Novi Velia