There is an unbreakable bond between the table of a small village and its cultural identity. In the heart of the Foggia Subapennines, making fresh pasta in Celle di San Vito by hand is a real act of passing on memory. In this small municipality of the province of Foggia, the art of working semolina translates into the daily creation of traditional artisan pasta shapes, telling the wisdom of past generations through simple ingredients and precise gestures.

For travellers wondering what to taste in Celle di San Vito during a summer stay or a spring weekend, discovering home-made pasta is the perfect key to understanding the soul of the territory. Sitting down to eat here means savouring an intact culinary tradition that reflects the quality of local ingredients and the history of a welcoming community proud of its roots.

The quiet charm of the least populated village in Puglia

Set on the hills of the Apennines, Celle di San Vito welcomes visitors with its characteristic stone streets, well-kept façades, a restorative silence and a calm atmosphere. Walking through its medieval lanes lets you leave the chaos of the city behind and rediscover the details of mountain rural architecture, where every stone tells a story of resilience and care for the land.

This intimate atmosphere is reflected in the care the inhabitants give to their cooking. The promotion of the typical products of Celle di San Vito starts in the homes and the very few local businesses, where durum wheat semolina is worked by hand to create hearty pasta dishes, historically meant to restore farmers after hard days in the fields.

The art of cicatelli and the August celebration

At the heart of this home production is one particular shape: cicatelli. They are a short pasta hollowed out by hand, made only with durum wheat semolina and water. The distinctive feature of this speciality is its texture: the deep hollow captures sauces perfectly, for a tasty and authentic experience. Like many other villages in the area, Celle benefits from the remarkable quality of local durum wheat; the semolina gives a final product with a high protein content and a rustic texture that holds up well in cooking.

The community’s bond with this dish is expressed every summer. The long-standing Cicatelli Festival, traditionally held on 18 August, is when this speciality is celebrated publicly. During the event cicatelli are served with traditional tomato-based sauces, drawing visitors from all over the province.

The festival is a pillar of the food and wine of the Alta Valle del Celone, fitting perfectly among the typical dishes of the Monti Dauni. The careful making of the pasta is closely linked to the local traditions and Franco-Provençal cooking of Puglia, the language island Celle shares with neighbouring Faeto. Rediscovering these flavours attracts lovers of food tourism in the villages of Daunia, and fits into slow travel through the historic villages of the Foggia hinterland. For those studying the traditional recipes of Italy’s inland areas, this small Apulian village offers an extraordinary example of preserved food memory, ideal as a stop along the taste itineraries and walking routes of Puglia.

Keep discovering the Alta Valle del Celone

The authentic flavour of handmade cicatelli is just one of the wonders awaiting you in these mountains.

Discover more places in Celle di San Vito and the Alta Valle del Celone: keep reading our website to plan your nature walks in the woods, get to know the village’s historic monuments and churches and stay up to date on the upcoming traditional feasts that bring the communities of Faeto and Castelluccio Valmaggiore to life.