Wild Asparagus and Game Festival
Three days of flavours, music, and tradition in the abandoned village of Roscigno Vecchia, in the heart of Cilento
About Wild Asparagus Festival
Cilento spring in Roscigno Vecchia
The Wild Asparagus and Game Festival is one of the most anticipated events of the Cilento spring. It takes place in Roscigno Vecchia, the abandoned village within the municipality of Roscigno, in the province of Salerno, in the hinterland of Campania. The heart of the event is Piazza Giovanni Nicotera, a square overlooked by old stone houses, a fountain, and a church—a setting frozen in time, earning Roscigno Vecchia the nickname 'the Pompeii of the 20th century'.
In 2026, the festival reached its 15th edition and confirmed its status as a benchmark event for the Alburni area, within the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park. It is more than just a food festival; it is a moment when a village left by its inhabitants fills up again with voices, the aromas of home cooking, and music.
Wild asparagus, the absolute star
Wild asparagus, which grows spontaneously on the slopes of the Alburni Mountains, is the ingredient around which the entire culinary journey revolves. The food stalls, open daily from 1:00 PM, offer a menu entirely dedicated to this product and local peasant traditions:
- Appetizers featuring wild asparagus and typical Cilento products;
- Traditional pasta dishes, served in generous portions;
- Main courses, with a focus on the game that gives the festival its name;
- Pizzette and freshly fried zeppole;
- Local Cilento wines.
This is 'cucina povera' in the noblest sense of the term: ingredients sourced just a few kilometres away, slow cooking methods, and portions meant to be shared at the table. Much of the kitchen work is entrusted to the local women, who pass down unwritten recipes from one generation to the next.
Music, hiking, and archaeology
Alongside the food, the programme includes live music throughout the afternoons and evenings, featuring repertoires linked to Southern folk traditions, as well as guided hikes and tours by reservation dedicated to the historical and landscape heritage of the village and its surroundings.
The highlight of the 2026 edition was the Archaeological Educational Workshop, created with young researchers from the University of Naples Federico II: excavation simulations designed for children and linked to the Monte Pruno archaeological site, located within the Roscigno territory.
The Hound Festival and the 'Cilento Selvaggio' project
The final Sunday is dedicated to the Hound and Handler Festival, scheduled for 10:30 AM: a gathering that attracts dog enthusiasts from across Cilento and highlights the ancient bond between the village, the woods, and hunting traditions. In 2026, on this very day, the Cilento Selvaggio (Wild Cilento) project was launched, designed to promote the territory through cynological tourism, bridging nature, dog training, and hospitality.
Who organises the festival
The event is promoted by the Municipality of Roscigno, led by Mayor Pino Palmieri, together with the Terra Mia association and the Pro Loco Roscigno Vecchia APS, with the support of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, the Monte Pruno Foundation, the Italian Hound Society, and the Team Monte Pruno dog association.
A village to be visited slowly
To preserve the atmosphere of the site, access to the ancient village by car during the festival is reserved exclusively for vintage cars: all other visitors reach the square on foot, along a path that is already part of the experience. It is the right way to enter a village progressively abandoned by its inhabitants and now returned to visitors as an open-air museum, where the portals, courtyards, and alleys remain as they were a century ago.
Those arriving in Roscigno during these days will find not just a food festival, but an opportunity to understand how life was lived in the Cilento hinterland: the wild asparagus, the game, the hunting dogs, and the stone houses all tell the same story.
Wild Asparagus Festival — edition 2026
15th edition: three days of great participation
The 2026 edition of the Wild Asparagus and Game Festival was held from May 1st to 3rd in the abandoned village of Roscigno Vecchia, in the municipality of Roscigno (province of Salerno, Campania). For three days, Piazza Giovanni Nicotera was transformed into an open-air dining room, with food stalls opening every afternoon from 1:00 PM.
The menu, built entirely around the wild asparagus of the Alburni Mountains, offered appetizers, pasta dishes, main courses, pizzette, and zeppole, accompanied by typical products and Cilento wines. The game, which gives the event its name, returned as a star in traditional local main courses.
News of the year
The big news of 2026 was the Archaeological Educational Workshop, curated by young researchers from the University of Naples Federico II, with excavation simulations dedicated to children and linked to the Monte Pruno archaeological site. On the final Sunday, after the Hound and Handler Festival at 10:30 AM, the Cilento Selvaggio project was also presented, dedicated to cynological tourism as a lever for territorial development.
The assessment by the municipal administration, led by Mayor Pino Palmieri, and the Terra Mia association was positive, with a strong influx of visitors from the very first day and the announcement of a new autumn appointment dedicated to hunting, cynology, nature, and traditions.
Programme Wild Asparagus Festival 2026
For all three days (May 1-3, 2026)
- From 1:00 PM - Opening of food stalls in Piazza Giovanni Nicotera: appetizers, pasta dishes, main courses, pizzette, and zeppole based on wild asparagus and game, with typical products and local Cilento wines.
- Live music in the afternoon and evening among the alleys and the village square.
- Guided hikes and tours by reservation of the historical and landscape heritage of Roscigno Vecchia and its surroundings.
- Archaeological Educational Workshop for children, a 2026 novelty, curated by young researchers from the University of Naples Federico II, with excavation simulations linked to the Monte Pruno archaeological site.
- Access to the old village by car reserved exclusively for vintage cars.
Friday, May 1, 2026
Official opening of the 15th edition, with food stalls operating from 1:00 PM and the first evening of live music.
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Second day of the festival: stalls open from 1:00 PM, activities for families and children, guided tours of the village, and live music.
Sunday, May 3, 2026
- 10:30 AM - Hound and Handler Festival: cynological gathering with the Italian Hound Society and the Team Monte Pruno association.
- Presentation of the Cilento Selvaggio project, dedicated to cynological tourism.
- From 1:00 PM - Food stalls open.
- Live music to close the event.
Highlights Wild Asparagus Festival 2026
- 15th edition of the festival, in the abandoned village of Roscigno Vecchia
- Menu entirely dedicated to wild asparagus from the Alburni Mountains and game
- Food stalls open daily from 1:00 PM in Piazza Giovanni Nicotera
- Hound and Handler Festival, Sunday, May 3 at 10:30 AM
- Launch of the Cilento Selvaggio project, dedicated to cynological tourism
- Archaeological Educational Workshop with the University of Naples Federico II
- Access to the old village reserved for vintage cars
- Live music and guided hikes by reservation
Prices Wild Asparagus Festival 2026
Practical information — Wild Asparagus Festival
Where it takes place
Roscigno Vecchia, Piazza Giovanni Nicotera - Municipality of Roscigno (SA), Postal Code 84020, province of Salerno, Campania.
How to get there
It is easily reached by car: from Salerno and the Cilento coast, head inland following the signs for the Alburni and Roscigno. Public transport in the area is limited, so a car remains the most practical solution. During the festival, car access to the old village is permitted only for vintage vehicles: park in the designated areas and continue on foot.
Access and costs
Free entry to the event; tastings at the food stalls are paid, with dishes available for individual purchase. Stalls open daily at 1:00 PM.
Information and reservations
Pro Loco Roscigno Vecchia APS - tel. +39 331 5068513, [email protected]. Hikes and guided tours are by reservation only.
Tips
Wear comfortable shoes for the village's stone alleys, bring a light jacket for the evening (the altitude is about 600 metres), and plan to stay the next day to visit the Museum of Peasant Civilization and the trails of the National Park.
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Where does it take place — Wild Asparagus Festival
Roscigno Vecchia - Piazza Giovanni Nicotera
Piazza Giovanni Nicotera, 84020 Roscigno