Wine Nights in Foria di Centola

Wine Nights in Foria di Centola

Every summer, the historic center of Foria, a hillside hamlet of the Municipality of Centola in the province of Salerno, transforms into a large open-air winery. The Wine Nights are the Cilento stop of the national festival promoted by the National Association of Cities of Wine and are organized locally by the Foria Borgo DiVino association together with the Municipality of Centola. Two evenings of tastings, Cilento cuisine, and music, within a village that has built much of its identity on viticulture.

A village between the Lambro and the Mingardo

Foria is situated on a ridge overlooking the valleys of the Lambro and Mingardo rivers, in the heart of Cilento and just a few kilometers from the coast of Palinuro and Marina di Camerota. The name, of Greek origin, evokes the idea of a market or a place of exchange: a vocation that the village has maintained over the centuries. The stone houses, historic palaces, and the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie provide a natural backdrop for an event that takes place almost entirely outdoors, among alleys, squares, and small plazas.

The "Centula," the wine that reached the papal court

The event was born around a little-known but well-documented history. The wine produced between Centola and Foria, known at the time as "Centula," was already famous in the 16th century: Sante Lancerio, butler and wine connoisseur to Pope Paul III, defined it as a perfect wine, worthy of a gentleman. It was also mentioned by the physician Alessandro Traiano Petroni and the botanist Andrea Bacci, both linked to the papal court, and a reference to this wine even appears in the novella Il dottor Vetrata by Miguel de Cervantes. For centuries, barrels leaving these hills reached Rome and, later, the ports of the Americas.

The wineries and tasting stands

The heart of the festival is the tastings. In the most recent edition, five wineries were involved that are now vinifying "Centula" again: it is the result of the work of young winemakers who have replanted vineyards around the village in recent years, recovering a production that was at risk of disappearing. The tastings are accompanied by typical Cilento dishes and products offered by gastronomic stands: a pairing that perfectly tells the story of the cuisine of this part of Campania, made of extra virgin olive oil, legumes, homemade pasta, goat cheese, and Tyrrhenian fish.

Atmosphere and entertainment

• Stands open in the evening, when the August heat subsides
• Tasting route through the alleys of the historic center
• Shows and musical entertainment throughout the village
• Stands with traditional Cilento dishes
• Stories and meetings on local winemaking history

A festival spread across Italy

Foria di Centola joins The Wine Nights, the widespread festival of the Cities of Wine that involves hundreds of Italian municipalities every summer between June and September. Each stop, however, maintains its own identity: here the formula is that of the intimate village, where tasting also becomes a walk through history, architecture, and landscape. For Cilento, it is one of the best opportunities to approach a niche wine production, far from the large commercial circuits.

Why it's worth the trip

In a region like Campania, which is rich in food and wine events, the Wine Nights of Foria stand out for their human scale and authenticity: no big stages, but an entire village opening its doors to visitors. It is an ideal appointment for those spending their holidays on the Cilento coast who want to dedicate an evening to the hinterland, discovering a wine that has a five-century-long history and that today has returned to the bottle thanks to a few local farms.