Vini, Masserie e Massa Festival

A label-free festival in the heart of Sannio

Vini, Masserie e Massa is the annual event held in mid-June, where the Pro Loco Massa di Faicchio showcases the traditional peasant wines of Massa, a hamlet in the Municipality of Faicchio, in the Province of Benevento, deep within the Campania region. This is not a wine fair with price lists and brochures: here, you taste the wines that families have always made for themselves—unlabeled and unpretentious, just as they were crafted in the hillside farmhouses (masserie). This is why the event is known as "a festival without labels," attracting curious visitors, enthusiasts, and travelers exploring the Valle Telesina.

Cellars carved into the tuff

In Massa, as the local story goes, the cellars were built before the houses. Beneath the dwellings lie cavities carved into the tuff, naturally cool year-round, where for generations families have pressed, fermented, and stored their wine. These caves are the true setting of the festival and explain why the event has become a case study for those interested in traditional viticulture: the Valle Telesina chapter of Slow Food has partnered with the Pro Loco in several editions, hosting talks and "tales of lived-in vineyards" recounted by the growers themselves.

The "wild tastings"

The heart of the evenings lies in the wild tasting stations, managed directly by the producers from the local masserie. The glasses are filled with homemade blends that you won't find in any wine shop:

• reds made from Sangiovese, Barbera, Greco Nero, and Aglianico;
• whites from Coda di Volpe, Falanghina, and Trebbiano, with a dedicated tasting point for Coda di Volpe;
• the wine tap set up along the festival route.

Those who complete the entire itinerary receive the fun Wild Drinker Diploma, now the most recognizable symbol of the event and a small collective ritual that brings smiles to both residents and visitors.

The cuisine of the masserie

Alongside the wine, there are food stalls managed by the Pro Loco and local associations, featuring specialties of the traditional Titerno country cuisine: grilled meats, pasta with sausage, bruschetta topped with local olive oil, cheeses, and typical products of the Sannio region. It is simple, rustic food designed to pair with bold, direct wines and to be eaten on the go while moving from one station to the next.

Folk music and atmosphere

The evenings are brought to life by folk music and roving entertainment: ethnomusicological groups, traditional songs from Campania, square dancing, and street performers moving through the streets of the hamlet. It is not uncommon for the producers themselves to improvise as musicians at the end of the night, in a spirit of conviviality that remains the true hallmark of the event. The festival typically opens at 8:00 PM and continues until late at night.

Faicchio, the Valle Telesina, and Sannio wine

Faicchio has just over 3,500 inhabitants and stretches between the Titerno river and the hills that enclose the Valle Telesina, a few kilometers from the Telese thermal baths, about thirty kilometers northwest of Benevento and fifty northeast of Naples. The territory is dominated by the Ducal Castle and a landscape of vineyards, olive groves, and masserie: we are in one of the most important wine-growing areas of Campania, home to Falanghina and Aglianico del Sannio. Vini, Masserie e Massa reveals its most domestic and ancient face—that of the wines "of our fathers and grandfathers," made to be shared with family.

When it takes place

The event traditionally falls on a weekend in June, with two consecutive evenings starting at 8:00 PM. Entry to the hamlet and the tasting route is free: tastings are offered by the producers, while food at the stalls is available for purchase at local festival prices.