Vulcano Contemporaneo

An open-air museum inside a crater

Vulcano Contemporaneo is the contemporary art festival that the Municipality of Roccamonfina, in the province of Caserta, created to showcase a truly unique location: a town built inside the crater of an ancient extinct volcano, in the heart of the Alto Casertano region. Here, where geology has carved a natural amphitheater of chestnut forests and panoramic terraces, the artworks are not confined to an exhibition hall but spill out into the streets, occupying squares, alleys, viewpoints, and above all the Villa Comunale, the beating heart of the event.

The concept is as simple as it is ambitious: to bring the language of contemporary art into a territory rich in history, identity, and landscape, and to see what happens when sculpture, photography, and performance meet volcanic stone, the greenery of the Roccamonfina-Foce Garigliano Regional Park, and the daily life of a Campanian village of just over three thousand inhabitants.

The first edition: about forty works in five weeks

The festival was born in the summer of 2025, when from July 26 to August 24, Roccamonfina hosted an artistic laboratory spread across five weeks. Approximately forty works—including sculpture, painting, installations, and conceptual research—were exhibited, selected for the quality and originality of their visual language. The artistic direction was entrusted to Claudia Grasso, director of Toro Arte Contemporanea, with organizational coordination by Gianpaolo Coronas; the project was promoted by the municipal administration with the patronage of the Regional Park Authority.

Alongside Campanian and Italian artists, international authors also exhibited their work, with a significant presence of foreign sculptors: a dialogue that allowed local research to be measured against a broader horizon, without sacrificing its roots in the territory.

More than just an exhibition: performances, music, and workshops

Vulcano Contemporaneo is not a simple exhibition: the calendar alternates between vernissages, guided tours, candlelight concerts, dance performances, historical costume parades, body painting, readings, and meetings with the artists. An important part of the program is dedicated to families, with free creative workshops for children, and to public participation, with visitors invited to photograph the village through a dedicated photo contest.

• Site-specific installations at viewpoints, in squares, and in the alleys of the historic center
• Temporary exhibitions in public spaces and historic buildings of the town
• Live performances: contemporary and oriental dance, experimental music, urban theater
• Creative workshops, talks, and meetings open to everyone
• Concerts under the stars in the Villa Comunale, featuring piano, violin, and saxophone

A call for young sculptors and the biennial project

The most interesting aspect of the project concerns the future. Alongside the festival, an international call for young sculptors, both Italian and foreign, was launched: a jury of critics, curators, and artists selects the winners, who can create permanent or temporary works in dialogue with the urban and natural landscape. Some works are intended to remain permanently in the village, contributing over time to the creation of an open-air sculpture park.

The organizers also presented the first edition as the preview of a sculpture biennial designed for the Roccamonfina crater, with the goal of giving the town a regular, internationally-oriented artistic event. A project that, if confirmed, would make this corner of Campania an unusual and precious stop on the contemporary art calendar of Southern Italy.

The village, the park, and the chestnut trees

Those who travel up to Roccamonfina discover much more than an exhibition. The town, at about 600 meters above sea level, is famous for its IGP chestnut and is located in the heart of the Roccamonfina-Foce Garigliano Regional Park, among chestnut woods and scenic trails. Visiting Vulcano Contemporaneo thus means combining an art walk with a day in nature, among the trattorias and products of the Caserta hinterland.

A free event for everyone

The formula chosen by the Municipality is that of free access: the widespread exhibition can be visited for free, and the evening events also have free admission. However, for shows with seating, online booking is required because the capacity of the Villa Comunale is limited.