For more than forty years the Mushroom Festival has turned Cusano Mutri, one of the loveliest villages in the Matese, into one long food trail: homes in the old town become taverns and the stone lanes fill with stalls. We recommend the final days in mid-October, when the air of the Matese Park already smells of autumn.
On the plates you will find porcini, wild field mushrooms, Caesar's mushrooms when the season allows and Sannio black truffle, served on orecchiette, pappardelle and hearty mains, with Aglianico del Taburno, Fiano and Greco to drink. It opens in the evening on weekdays and at lunchtime too at weekends; entry is free.
Our tip: come on a weekday, when it is quieter, and allow an hour to wander among the churches and stairways of the village.