Viti Visi Vini

Wine as a narrative of a Fortore village

There are food and wine events that simply line up tables and glasses, and others that strive to explain the origins of what is being poured. «Viti Visi Vini», created by the Pro Loco Montefalcone di Val Fortore APS, belongs to the latter category, linking three words that serve as three levels of interpretation: viti (vines), the agricultural landscape; visi (faces), the people who built that landscape; and vini (wines), what ends up in the glass.

The title itself is a manifesto: in Montefalcone di Val Fortore, a municipality in the province of Benevento in the far north of Campania, viticulture is not a manufactured attraction but a long-standing practice, performed at altitudes that would be considered prohibitive for vines elsewhere.

A format built on key landmarks

The event revolves around a few specific locations in the village, each with a precise role:

• the vineyard in the Ischia area, where the opening aperitif takes place among the vines;
• Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi, which hosts evening events and musical performances in the heart of the town;
• the «Cosimo Nardi» Museum of Peasant Civilization in the Fortore Area, home to the guided tastings;
• Via San Luca, a route featuring open wineries, street food, and live music, which at times transforms into an open-air art gallery;
• Cantina Caruso, a local producer that opens its doors to the public during the event.

The result is an event spread across the town rather than concentrated in a single square: each stop has its own atmosphere, from the quiet of a technical tasting to the collective celebration on Sunday evening.

What to taste: the wines of Sannio

The territory of Montefalcone di Val Fortore falls within an area covered by four designations: Sannio DOC, Falanghina del Sannio DOC, Beneventano (or Benevento) IGT, and Campania IGT. The province of Benevento is the leader in Campania for vineyard surface area, and Falanghina is its white flagship.

However, an additional variable comes into play here: altitude. The town sits at approximately 830 meters above sea level, with municipal territory ranging from 411 to 981 meters. At these heights, producers have had to seek out the best exposures to achieve grapes that meet the province's standards: it is the kind of nuance that a guided tasting with sommeliers explains better than any brochure.

The Museum of Peasant Civilization, the heart of the event

The fact that the tastings are held in an ethnographic museum is no mere logistical detail. The Museum of Peasant Civilization in the Fortore Area is named after Cosimo Nardi, who founded it in 1982 by personally collecting the materials on display: over three thousand pieces including agricultural tools, utensils, and everyday objects. Sipping a glass among those items means witnessing, in the same space, the gestures of yesterday and the product of today.

The village also preserves a Civic Museum for archaeology and paleontology: two museum institutions in a municipality of just over twelve hundred inhabitants.

The Pro Loco and the partner network

The organization is entirely handled by the Pro Loco Montefalcone di Val Fortore APS, which is active in promoting the territory through cultural, social, and tourist initiatives. A network has been built around the event, including Ager Fortore for the agronomic aspect, the Italian Sommelier Federation for the tastings, and local wineries.

Montefalcone di Val Fortore, the village

The village overlooks the Fortore valley, in a border area between Campania, Molise, and Puglia. The historic center retains its medieval layout and the ruins of the castle; just outside stands the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Carmine, begun in 1604, which houses an 18th-century statue of the Madonna. The patronal feast, dedicated to Maria Santissima del Carmelo, falls on July 16th, a few weeks before «Viti Visi Vini».

When to go

The event takes place in the first ten days of August, when the village repopulates with the return of emigrants and vacationers: it is no coincidence that in past editions, «Viti Visi Vini» has intertwined with the historic Emigrant Festival of the Fortore. At 830 meters, temperatures are much milder than on the coast.