Come to celebrate the most magical night of the year. On 23 June, at the Rifugio del Contadino in the Cilento National Park, we welcome you for the Night of St John: gathering wild herbs, preparing the acqua di San Giovanni, dining on local produce, and a propitiatory bonfire under the summer solstice sky.
At sunset on 23 June, the air around Bosco fills with scents that few people still know how to name:St. John’s wort, hawthorn, lemon balm, mastic tree, lavender, rosemary, mint. We will cut the last stems in silence. These herbs will become a talisman. Then they will burn beside the bonfire.
Isabella has transformed the Rifugio del Contadino in Bosco, in the heart of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, into a place of slow hospitality, where time is measured in seasons and scents. The Night of St John is not a re-enactment for her: it is an appointment that returns every year, with the same herbs, the same gestures, the same care.
On the afternoon of June 23rd, you will go out together to gather wild herbs that, in Cilento, carry dialect names, stories, and uses passed down orally for centuries. With your own hands you will make a protective talisman and prepare the acqua di San Giovanni: flowers and dew left outside through the night, on the threshold between 23 and 24 June.
In the evening, after dinner made with local produce, everyone gathers around the bonfire. The old bundles of St John’s wort — those gathered the year before — burn slowly. It is a gesture of renewal that has been performed in these lands since before there was a name for it. Some people bring an instrument. Some bring silence.
The morning of June 24th unfolds slowly, between the silence of the countryside and a breakfast with local products. It is time to say goodbye, but also the moment when everything you have experienced truly begins to settle within you. Isabella teaches you to distinguish, smell and touch the wild plants. What to pick and what to leave. What heals and what must not be touched.
You take away something that cannot be bought: an ancient gesture returned to your hands, the ability to recognise a wild herb, a connection with a natural cycle that exists independently of you. For the inland Cilento, every person who takes part sustains a local economy and helps keep alive a body of knowledge at risk of disappearing.
WHAT TO BRING
23 June
4:00 pm — Check-in at Rifugio del Contadino.
4:30 pm — Sunset botanical walk with Isabella: gathering wild herbs to make the protective talisman and prepare the acqua di San Giovanni.
7:00 pm — Aperitivo together.
8:30 pm — Dinner with traditional Cilento dishes, prepared with local and seasonal ingredients.
10:00 pm — Propitiatory bonfire: burning of the old St John’s bundles and collective meditation. The acqua di San Giovanni is left outside until dawn.
24 June
8:00 AM — Breakfast with local products.
10:00 AM — Farewell and check-out.
The remaining balance for this experience must be paid on site upon arrival using your preferred payment method.
Cancellation Policy: Moderate.
For details, please refer to the Cancellation Policy.
Every experience we offer has been carefully selected to ensure a positive impact on local communities and the environment, while at the same time providing you with an authentic and unforgettable experience. If you wish to know more or have questions about our offerings, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are ready to provide you with all the information you need to make your trip special and perfectly aligned with your interests.
