Peperoncino Festival a Diamante

I vicoli interni e il lungomare di Diamante blossom with stands offering tastings and delicacies made from the fiery Capsicum annuum (this is the scientific name for chili pepper): rosamarina, a paste of baby sardines and anchovies, salted and fermented, with sweet or spicy chili; chili jam; ‘nduja from Spilinga (chili sausage); “Baci di Casanova” cookies, chili chocolate and grappa, and much more. We are in fact on the Riviera dei Cedri, where honey and citron jams, fragrant cookies and sweets, liqueurs, granitas, and drinks made from this virtuous citrus fruit cannot be missing. The Peperoncino Festival is also enriched by shows, exhibitions, culinary workshops, debates, and round tables. It is an opportunity to discover the beauties of Diamante, starting with the suggestive murals that decorate alleys and squares, making them unique (the town belongs to the Painted Villages association); the remains of the castello Carafa and the chiesa dell’Immacolata. Also delightful is Cirella, a hamlet with the ruins of the old village, the bathing area, and the homonymous island.