Calici di Stelle (Basilicata) is one of the wine festivals that anchors the Basilicata calendar, drawing both local visitors and international wine travellers each year. The festival is held at multiple participating villages and wineries across Basilicata, in the heart of the Basilicata wine area. It is an annual event with an established local audience and a consistent place in the regional calendar.
Italy's most romantic wine evening, held around the Night of San Lorenzo when the Perseid meteor shower peaks. Organised jointly by Movimento Turismo del Vino and Citta del Vino, the event runs across hundreds of villages, wineries and historic squares from northern Italy down to Sicily. In Basilicata, participating wineries and town councils organise open-air tastings combining the area's wines with local food, live music and stargazing. Calici di Stelle takes its name from the Night of San Lorenzo on 10 August, when the Perseid meteor shower peaks over Italy. Wineries and town councils across the region run open-air tastings under the night sky, often combined with local food, live music and astronomy programmes. The atmosphere is relaxed and family-friendly, with wines typically poured in the form of guided tasting flights through the participating area. The event is organised jointly by Movimento Turismo del Vino and Citta del Vino, with each participating town or winery setting its own programme within the broader nationwide framework. Many editions include amateur astronomers giving talks during the evening, adding a cultural dimension to the wine tasting itself. The event is organised by Movimento Turismo del Vino + Citta del Vino, which sets the tone and direction of the programme each year.
Basilicata's most important wine is Aglianico del Vulture DOCG, a structured red grown on volcanic soils around the extinct Mount Vulture in the north of the region. The wines are among southern Italy's most age-worthy reds, often compared to Taurasi (also Aglianico-based) for their structure and longevity. The Matera DOC and other smaller appellations support a small but quality-focused wine scene.
The 2026 edition is scheduled for around 10 August 2026 (Night of San Lorenzo). Festival access is ticketed: Paid (tasting pass, ~€10-25). Full programme, ticketing and updated information are published on the official site at https://www.movimentoturismovino.it/it/calici-di-stelle. Visitors are advised to check directly with the organiser for the latest schedule, as Italian festival programmes are sometimes updated close to the event date.
Basilicata is reached via Bari (in neighbouring Puglia), Naples or Potenza, with Matera — the UNESCO-listed cave-dwelling city — as the most popular tourism base. The Vulture wine area sits in the north of the region, around 90 minutes from both Bari and Naples. Lucanian cuisine pairs the wines with peperoni cruschi (dried Senise peppers), salsiccia lucana, lagane e ceci, podolica beef, and pecorino di Filiano cheese.
