4 Must-Do’s When Visiting Campania in Autumn

From music to food festivals, Campania in autumn offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the local traditions and customs of each locality. Autumn is harvest time for a lot of produce, so if you’re lucky enough to visit during the olive and fig harvesting, you can get a chance to enjoy a unique experience and sample the delicious produce firsthand. 

Autumn in Italy brings an exciting change of season with abundant things to do in Campania. The weather, characterized by warm sunny days with less humidity, is the perfect season for walking, exploring historic town centres, or simply relaxing in the sunshine on less crowded beaches and lidos after the summer crowds have dispersed. Add these four unique things to do in Campania this autumn to your must-see list.

Fly High With the Paestum Balloon Festival

One of the most popular stops for anyone visiting the vast region of Campania is the incredible Paestum Temples. A UNESCO World Heritage site, they are home to three of the best-preserved ancient Greek Temples in the world. Attracting over 440,000 visitors in 2019 alone. While this incredible archaeological site is famous in its own right, the skies above have also become an ariel playground during the Paestum Balloon Festival in recent years. The festival features balloon rides, entertainment, music, and food. So, if you’re visiting  Campania in early October, head down to Paestum, and you could be lucky enough to soar high above this historical location. The views across the Amalfi Coast and sparkling Tyrrhenian coastline are something to behold.

Greek temple with hot air balloons in sky above
Paestum Temples, Campania

This annual event attracts up to 20,000 visitors. Tickets cost €5 to enter the Balloon Festival Park. Check out the Paestum Balloon Festival Facebook page for dates and flight schedules.

Taste the White Cilentan Fig

You will discover many surprises when exploring Campania, and one of the tastiest and most intriguing is the white fig of Cilento. With over 600 varieties of figs across Italy alone, this particular Dottato fig only grows in Cilento, between Castellabate, Agropoli, and Prignano Cilento. The hillsides between the mountains and the sea are dotted with Dottato fig trees, providing the ambient climate and soil conditions for these white-fleshed, delectable fruits to grow.

Figs stuffed with nuts on a plate
Stuffed Dottato figs

A must-visit is the Santomiele Fig Factory in the hilltop hamlet of Prignano Cilento, located just a 10-minute drive from Villa Velius. This pretty location, high above the Cilento National Park, dazzles with panoramic views across the verdant hills and sea below. Don’t be fooled by the description of a fig factory; Santomiele is more akin to a combination of a beautiful boutique hotel and a high-end restaurant. As you enter through the grand doors, the sweet smell of the figs drying in the sun fills the air. Owner Antonio Longo, whose grandfather grew figs and olives on the land near Paestum since 1930, has definitely placed the White Fig of Cilento on the map with its European DOP status.

wooden round table with maps placemats and chairs
Santomiele, Prignano Cilento

Continuing the tradition of harvesting and drying the figs by hand, the figs are slowly dried with nothing added except the glorious Italian sunshine. Laid out in neat rows, they are turned by hand up to five times a day! Once ready, they are carefully packed in the most beautiful wrapping, again by hand, or dipped in delicious chocolate, made into jam, sprinkled with pink peppercorns or made into mouthwatering apreitivo snacks. The list of exquisite gastronomic creations is endless!

Figs drying outside in the sun
Cilento figs drying in the sun

Fig Tasting at Its Finest

The passion of the staff shines through when you visit, and an experiential visit is a must-do. Book The Artisan’s Touch tour or “Il Touch dell’artigiano” for an exquisite introduction and exceptional tasting of Santomiele’s mouthwatering creations. The smell as you enter Santomiele is heavenly! From savoury, delectable bites to chocolate delights that will make your tastebuds sing, you can be sure that you will leave Santomiele a complete convert to these delicious, soft, sweet figs.

Artisan packed fig products with wrapping
Hand-packed fig products from Santomiele

You’ll understand the labor of love that goes into the processes still carried out by hand at every step of the journey, just as it was generations before. This is one of the more unique things to do in Campania this autumn, so to book a visit and an experience you’ll never forget, visit the Santomiele website.

Savor the Taste of Campania

A visit to Campania is not complete without tasting the incredible Campania wines! While the Italian regions of Tuscany, Verona, and Veneto might initially spring to mind when talking about Italian wine, Campania is a region that produces excellent wines. It is known amongst others for its Fiano, Aglianico, and Greco grapes. Vineyards grow wild with fennel and mint, sitting 500-700 metres above sea level. The mountains in the background and views out to the sea and the Amalfi coast offer a unique microclimate and limestone and clay soil that produce these great quality wines. A deliciously cold glass of wine definitely hits the spot at the end of a day out and about exploring, but which wines should be on your try-list while staying in Campania?

Well, there is actually a lot more to choose from than you might first think. Deliciously crisp white wines like Falanghina, Greco, and the region’s famously produced Pian Di Stio, an organic Fiano, are ones not to miss. The red Aglianico grapes which flourish here produce the excellent ruby red Jungano, a soft, full-bodied wine.

wines displayed on racks in a shop with barrels
San Salvatore 1988 shop

So, whether you want to stretch your legs after lounging poolside on your vacation or want insider tips on what wine will make the best accompaniment to your evening meal, mark this on your things to do in Campania list. Head over to one of the region’s high-quality wine producers and visit Azienda Agricola San Salvatore 1988.

Go Nuts in Avella

Just 30 minutes from Naples lies Avella, famous for its Hazelnut trees or “Avellano,” which derives from the town’s name. Hazelnuts have been a constant in Campania, mentioned back in the 3rd century and depicted on frescoes uncovered at the archaeological sites at Herculaneum. Avella Hazelnuts have been mentioned in botany records studying the trees as far back as the eighteenth century. They are harvested mid-autumn and dried for 2-3 days in the open air.

Sagra di Avella

This year, the town of Avella will host the 11th edition of the Sagra di Avella. Sagra, pronounced “sah-gra”, celebrates a town or region’s produce. There are many Sagra to enjoy throughout the year, providing opportune moments to relish the freshest of ingredients from restaurant menus. The food in Campania changes throughout the year depending on what is in season. This should be how we all eat, by consuming food from the land and sea when it is most abundant and in season. Unfortunately, in many countries, the high demand means we see less and less of this on the menus. Not in Campania, though!

Hazlenut on a tree
Hazlenut tree

So, if you’re visiting in October, head to the town of Avella and join in the festivities of the Chestnut and Hazelnut from Avella. This agricultural tradition and an interesting activity in Campania takes place from 11th – 17th October. Expect to see markets and tastings of all products from the region. Almost every variation of chestnut will be a delicious ingredient, accompanied by mushrooms, olive oils, wines, and beers. The ancient Roman Amphitheatre is worthy of a visit, and there are excellent hiking trails that offer far-reaching views across Vesuvius and beyond.

The Pinelli Group properties are a collection of elegant apartments, luxuriously restored farmhouses, and villas in the captivating region of Campania. Each has its unique character and charm, and you are literally a walk or short drive away from the authentic experiences that this exquisite part of Southern Italy has to offer.

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