Vietri Carnival (Dragonea and Piazza Amendola)

The Vietri Carnival, the most anticipated winter festival

In Vietri sul Mare, a town in the Province of Salerno in Campania, Carnival is not celebrated in just one place. Local tradition has taken the form of a dual event that unites the hillside village of Dragonea and Piazza Amendola, in the heart of the main town. Two days that differ in timing, audience, and atmosphere, yet are animated by the same spirit: that of the festival most loved by children, where imagination takes center stage and every little one can be whatever they dream of.

This is not a carnival with massive allegorical floats for thousands of spectators, but a community festival built from the ground up: a model widely found in the villages of the Amalfi Coast, where neighborhood associations and parishes work for months alongside the local government to bring color to the streets in the period leading up to Lent.

The Dragonea Masked Parade

The first event takes place in Dragonea, the village overlooking the valley behind Vietri, already known for its historic summer Lemon Festival. Here, the masked parade organized by the Trasboneia 200 association with the patronage of the Municipality of Vietri sul Mare takes center stage: an afternoon procession that winds through the village streets with masked groups, musical accompaniment, and great popular participation.

• Parade of masked groups along the streets of Dragonea
• Music and entertainment following the procession
• Confetti, colors, and decorations curated by the village volunteers
• Free and open participation for everyone

It is a deeply communal event: costumes and decorations are prepared in the preceding weeks by volunteers and families, with that artisanal creativity that in Vietri also belongs to the ceramic tradition.

The Vietri Carnival in Piazza Amendola

The second event, specifically called the Vietri Carnival, is promoted directly by the municipal administration and is held in Piazza Amendola, the panoramic square in the historic center. The morning is entirely dedicated to children: skill games, inflatables, live shows, entertainment, and baby dance transform the square into a large space of fun, featuring jugglers and musical moments.

The choice to hold the event in the morning, on Shrove Tuesday, allows all families in the municipality to participate and makes the festival particularly suitable for younger children.

Vietri sul Mare, the gateway to the Amalfi Coast

Known worldwide as the city of ceramics, Vietri sul Mare is the first town on the Amalfi Coast for those arriving from Salerno. Its artisan workshops, the majolica tiles decorating facades and domes, the seaside village of Marina di Vietri, and the hillside hamlets like Dragonea, Benincasa, Raito, and Albori make up a compact but surprisingly varied territory.

Experiencing Carnival here means discovering the town in its most authentic dimension, far from the summer crowds: the winter season restores a slow rhythm to the Coast, where popular festivals return to being, above all, a moment of encounter between residents.

An event designed for families

Both days are free and open to all. They are particularly suitable for families with children, who can come in costume and freely take part in the activities. The spaces are outdoors and easily reachable on foot from the center of Vietri sul Mare.

• Admission: free for all activities
• Audience: children, families, residents, and visitors
• Locations: Dragonea village and Piazza Amendola
• Period: February or March, depending on the movable date of Carnival

When it takes place

The dates follow the liturgical calendar of Carnival and therefore change every year: the Dragonea parade is generally held on the Sunday preceding Shrove Tuesday, while the Vietri Carnival in Piazza Amendola takes place on the morning of Shrove Tuesday. It is advisable to check the final program on the official channels of the Municipality of Vietri sul Mare in the weeks leading up to the event.