A‘ Chiena. A Festival and a Water Fight.

The first trickle of water makes its way into town at about
2.30 pm.

When the river Tenza breaks its banks the citizens of the town of Campagna (in the province of Salerno, 70 miles south of Naples) have already shored up their houses with planks and sandbags, because it does so with surprising regularity; every Saturday and Sunday from the middle of July and into August at half past two in the afternoon. And its been doing so for the last twenty years.

On his way for a unscheduled dunking.


And then fished out again

The “Chiena” (meaning “full” as in “full to overflowing”) as it's called, is a revival of an antique method of cleaning the streets; when mule trains, passing through the town in the summer months carrying iron ore, clay and wood from the lofty forested Pincentini mountains would have left their mark on the cobble stones. And in the summer months their passing would have left a noticable puzza in the stifling air too.
Mule dung is no longer a big problem for the town council, so nowadays the Chiena is a good excuse for a party.

Watching the waters go by.

Above the waterfall just outside of the town a miniature canal was built in the mid nineteenth century to redirect some of the river water. Half goes through the town’s drainage system and the other half back into the river. The opening taking the water back to the river is blocked and the pressure of water gushes up through a grating and tumbles down past the post office into the piazza and on through the town.

Check to see the going's good.
The River Tenza running through
the town of Campagna

At midday a test run in which a small amount of water is diverted through the streets beguiles the numerous tourists with its relaxed mood. Locals set up tables and stalls along the route from which free drinks and snacks are offered, and families quietly stroll through the icy water. Enjoying the unusual and pleasant experience of paddling barefoot over cobblestoned streets.
It’s in the afternoon that the fun starts. The whole town is out to watch the spectacle, and the town’s young male population are all dressed in trainers and swimming costumes, the girls cover up slightly more, but not much. They know they aren’t going to stay dry for very long and want to make sure they will look enticing enough to the boys when wet through, without being too revealing.



Even since its original and functional application it has been an occasion to drench each other, and anyone else.

A disco rings the changes but the bucketsful are flying in every direction as in times past; although a plastic bag full of water makes as good a container as any. And as the waters rise so does the tempo, and inevitably the girls are singled out by the lads who carry them kicking, screaming, laughing and resigned to a soaking; either where the water piles up as it turns a sharp street corner, or no messing and straight in the fountain in the piazza.
Tourists and the older inhabitants look on from the margins, and if you decide to paddle your way to another vantage point a sort of truce is observed to keep at least your top half dry. But it’s sometimes difficult to avoid being in the line of fire. And who really minds too much anyway?


Though carrying a camera around can give you some worrying moments and it can be a good idea to have something to cover it with to keep any stray water off.
The last a’ Chiena of the summer takes place at midnight on either Ferragosta, August 15th, or on the following day.

Although a small town of only 15,000 inhabitants Campagna manages to organise a variety of events throughout the summer to accompany the Chiena. In July of last year the Band of the Royal Marines were among the attractions.

Campagna, August 2004. Updated June 2009.

Get there by car. A3 southbound from Naples and take the exit for Campagna. Follow the signposts for Campagna on the SP38.




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