(WR) There are places that seem tailor-made for certain rituals. Catasta, in the municipality of Morano Calabro, in the heart of the Pollino National Park—Italy’s largest protected area—is one of them. On Saturday, May 23, the Pollino Cocktail Camp returns, a festival that in recent years has transformed this corner of deep Calabria into a national hub for contemporary mixology. The underlying idea is as simple as it is seductive: take the botanicals of this extraordinary territory—the medicinal and aromatic herbs that grow on the slopes of Pollino—and make them the heart of a dialogue between bartenders, liqueur producers, and producers from across Italy. The result is an event unlike any other: neither a fair nor a simple tasting, but something closer to an outdoor social experiment.
From 5:00 PM on May 23, Catasta becomes a great collective testing ground. Signature cocktails prepared with the park’s botanicals, spirits tastings, and conversations between professionals who rarely meet in the same place. Among the guests at the 2026 edition are names that perfectly capture the creative geography of Italian mixology: Peppe Doria of Volare (Bologna), César Araujo of Bob The Other Side (Milan), Francesco Bonazzi of Mag Café (Milan), Giuliana Giancano of Pot Pourri (Turin), Julian Biondi of Fermenthinks (Florence), and voices from the South like Antonio Cristofaro of Brezza (Soverato) and Peke Bochicchio of Barmacia (Potenza). Representing their hometown are Leo Sannicola of Musical Club di Saracena and Valeria Chiappetta of Qcècè di San Nicola Arcella.
The most interesting new feature this year is the shift toward music. For the first time, the festival hosts a continuous lineup from afternoon to late evening: funk, electronica, and jazz fused with the Turin collective Ciao. Discoteca Italiana, Neapolitan producer Bassolino, the duo Kokomò, and the Italia Serie Oro project, a key player in the Cosenza cultural scene. Mixology and sound research come together, in short, like the ingredients of the same cocktail. Special guests also include Roberto Davanzo of BoB Alchimia a Spicchi, a figure reshaping the language of contemporary pizza in Southern Italy: for the occasion, he will offer a savory reinterpretation of the Roman maritozzo. The line between food and drink, here too, is increasingly blurred.
The Pollino Cocktail Camp isn’t just Saturday. The program extends from May 22nd to 24th with botanical excursions, bike rides, guided tours, and workshops organized in collaboration with the Conservatory of Ethnobotany of Castelluccio Superiore. It’s a way to connect the bartender’s gesture with the cultural roots of the plants he uses—and to remember that behind every spirit there’s always a story of the territory. Admission to the festival is free. Tastings and activities are subject to a fee, with tickets also available for purchase on-site. For more information, visit catasta.org/pollinococktail-camp.