Volo dell'Angelo

The Flight of the Angel of Gesualdo is a religious and folkloric event that takes place annually on the last Sunday of August, during the festivities for Saint Vincent Ferreri.

The origins of this sacred event are not well known, but the first celebrations in honour of Saint Vincent Ferreri date back to 1822 and the chronicles of 1876 report the event of the fall of someone who was tied to the rope used for the Flight of the Angel because it broke. 

The rope used has been made of steel for some time and is stretched between the tower of the Castle of Gesualdo and the bell tower of the Church of the SS. Rosario. A child dressed as an angel is tied to it and flies to the centre of the square below, where a stage is set up and a man dressed as the devil is waiting for him. A performance of an eternal clash between good and evil begins between the two.

The dialectical clash ends with the child flying up to the bell tower, welcomed by a festive population that, every year, gathers to attend one of the most important events of the Gesualdo summer.