Water festival A Chiena is a party that transforms a rather sleepy small town in Campania into a vibrant and lively one.

Campagna – that’s what we’re talking about here, or rather its old town, reminds me a lot of the Sanita district in Naples: peeling paint from the pretty buildings, narrow cobblestone streets, shops, restaurants, and bars where locals, not necessarily   the youngests ones, discuss life or simply gossip about passing people. From time to time, a youngsteer appears on the street looking like a stereotypical Italian Casanova, as do women in stylish dresses straight from films from the heyday of Italian cinema.

 

 

Campagna is very Campanian in its atmosphere and architecture, historically known mainly for its religious institutions and stone bridges. And every summer Sunday, this peaceful place transforms beyond recognition, bringing in a lot of money for local businesses. This is thanks to the crowds of tourists, buckets, and water from the river.
The Tenza River flows through Campagne, which you can admire from the bridge. You can also dine on its banks and visit the small waterfalls, which are crowded with locals on hot days and tourists on Sundays. And this river makes even adults laugh like children for over an hour.

 

Water festival A Chiena – a bit of history:

Campagna is located in a very hot region of Italy, so around the 17th century, the town’s mayors initiated “A Chiena,” a summer tradition of flooding the town’s streets with water from the Tenza. Initially, it was a way to clean and cool the streets during the summer months, but over time, “a chiena” became a local tradition.

For centuries, the tradition thrived; after a long hiatus, and then after the 1980 Irpini earthquake, a Chiena was brought back to life. The decision was dictated by the desire to revitalize the town, which, like many others in the region, was struggling with depopulation and economic stagnation. Local people with diverse interests joined together and created water fetival “A Chiena”. Or rathertransformed a Chiena into a summer festival.

In recent years,  Water festival  a Chiena has been expanded to include the Guerra dei Colori, a Holi-inspired celebration of colored powder, and the Chiena di Mezzanotte, a nocturnal water festival held on August 16th near Ferragosto.

What to expect durign water festival a Chiena.

Currently, the event takes place from late June to late August on Sundays, when the river changes course thanks to the locks and manhole. At high noon, people waiting to wade through the cold water witness a mini-performance: young men deliver a large key, symbolizing the keys used to open and close the valves. Accompanied by applause and a countdown, the locks are closed, the manhole is opened, and the main street of the old town, along with everything and everyone on it, is flooded with cold river water.

The flood is, of course, controlled, shallow, and completely safe.

And everyone is very happy with the controlled flood during the water festival a Chiena; I was too. The water flows through the main street until 1:00 PM, and during that hour, you can wade in it, run, sit in a café with river water under your feet, and so on. If you think about it logically, it’s actually kind of silly – just wading through water with frozen feet, what’s there to be happy about? But for some reason, it was fun. Maybe it was the atmosphere of social celebration of the water festival a Chiena, or maybe the realization that the river had been redirected… I have no idea, but it was super cool.

 

At 1:00 PM, the water in the river is turned off, and everyone goes out to eat, drink coffee, buy buckets, and wait for the battle, which is the main part of a Chiena.

Of course, the locals are used to flooding, and local businesses along the route are preparing accordingly. Some shops and restaurants, especially those in the main square, close their doors and hang plastic sheets in their entrances. Those who haven’t bought buckets yet do so or find shelter somewhere safe.

And then everyone waits. It looks ridiculous – tons of people sit on the sidewalks with blue buckets in their hands, others walk around carrying buckets. A DJ plays music from the balcony in the main square, where a crowd has already gathered. People dance, sing, and wait for the battle. It begins at 3:30 PM, when the river is once again unleashed through the city. The DJ gives the signal… and the water from the buckets starts flying in all directions. 

 

And so it goes for an hour, although I’m not sure many people lasted the full hour, because the water is really cold. People splashing and being splashed come and go, water flies left and right, and there’s a lot of laughter. Of course, the unwritten agreement of the water festival a Chiena is to avoid attacking bystanders, who are clearly not participating in the fun.

We lasted about 30 minutes. It was warm, but not hot, so after 30 minutes, our teeth started chattering. We went to change, and that was the end of ourwater festival a Chiena. 

 

Practical information:

• You can purchase a 10 euro ticket per person, but it’s not necessary, as participation in the water festival a Chiena’ is free.
• We bought tickets, which gave us the option of using the bag storage and changing facilities free of charge.
• You can’t get to the venue by car; the access road is closed, and volunteers will direct you to the parking lots.
• After parking, you’ll need to go to the bus stop, which will take you to the venue free of charge.
• Buckets can be purchased in town (between 1.5 and 2 euros). There are specific requirements for buckets, so it’s better to buy one than to drag your own.
• Wear something you can safely get wet and won’t slip on your feet.
• It’s best to wear, for example, a swimsuit top (ladies) and shorts, or shorts for men, something you can easily take off if wet.
• Bring bathing towels.
• If you don’t want to participate in the battle of the water festival a Chiena, but just watch it, there are steps leading from the main square to a small terrace. There are further steps from the terrace – you can hide there. Don’t go too close to the stone railings, as the water will surely reach you.
• The biggest battle of the water festival a Chiena is in the main square – the further away from the square, the safer/drier.

Is it worth going to a water war?

Yes, it is.  The water festival a Chiena is refreshingly simple: the water is real, the people are local (mostly from Campania), and the fun is authentic. I had a great time; of course, you can only choose the first option, i.e., walking on flowing water, but to truly experience the fun of collective madness, you should get a bucket and simply get thoroughly soaked. And douse others.