There is one dish that, more than any other, tells who we are: rabbit Ischian style. And when an entire village comes together to celebrate it, it is not merely a food festival but a way of rediscovering one's own roots. That is exactly what happened at the Ischian Rabbit Festival, and we at Nascondiglio dell'Amore could not miss it: carrying on the tradition of rabbit has been our story for over fifty years.
A festival celebrating the signature dish of Ischia
The first edition of the Ischian Rabbit Festival took place on 19 June 2026 in Campagnano, the characteristic hilltop hamlet on the island of Ischia. It was organised by the Il Palmento Association, with the support of the Municipality of Ischia: an event designed to rediscover and celebrate the island's most identity-defining dish.
Its success was immediate: completely sold out, with residents, Italian tourists and foreign visitors seated shoulder to shoulder around the same tables. And in true Ischian spirit, the organisers also thought of those who could not attend, delivering the dishes to their homes: a gesture that embodies the culture of sharing that has always accompanied rabbit on the island's tables. As Gianluca Trani, president of the town council, pointed out, it is precisely the roots of a community that safeguard the memory of families and tell the identity of a place to its guests.
Rabbit Ischian style, from tuff pits to cooking in the tiano
To understand why a festival like this stirs such emotion among Ischians, we have to go back to the origins of the dish. Rabbit Ischian style has its roots in the island's rural peasant culture: once, every family raised its own rabbits in the characteristic pits dug into the green tuff rock, where the animals grew feeding on wild herbs, developing that unmistakable flavour we still seek in the meat today.
The traditional recipe calls for cooking in the tiano, the typical terracotta pot, with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, chilli, local white wine, cherry tomatoes and, above all, piperna, the wild aromatic herb that grows on the hills of Ischia and gives the rabbit its unique fragrance. A slow, patient ritual, passed down orally from generation to generation, which changes slightly from area to area: Barano, Serrara Fontana and Piano Liguori each guard their own variation.
The specialities of the festival
The event's menu managed to bring together tradition and creativity. Alongside the great classics — gnocchi with rabbit sauce, rabbit Ischian style in its most authentic version and rabbit with sauce — there was no shortage of new dishes designed to surprise even the most curious palates: grilled rabbit and an original savoury croissant with shredded rabbit, a modern reinterpretation of an ancient ingredient.
That's us in the photo
For us at Nascondiglio dell'Amore, being part of this festival is a source of great pride. It is no coincidence that the photograph accompanying the articles dedicated to the festival in the main local outlets portrays precisely the owners of our restaurant: a small recognition of those who, for over fifty years, have passionately carried on the tradition of rabbit Ischian style. Seeing ourselves told alongside the story of this dish reminds us how deeply our work is bound to the identity of the island.
Press review: the Rabbit Festival in the news
The Ischian Rabbit Festival was widely covered by the local press. Here are the articles that told the story of the event and the tradition of the dish:
- The Rabbit Festival: history and traditions of the dish that tells the soul of Ischia — Canale 9
- The Rabbit Festival: history and traditions of the dish that tells the soul of Ischia — La Provincia Online
- The Rabbit Festival: history and traditions of the dish that tells the soul of Ischia — TG News 24
- The Rabbit Festival: history and traditions of the dish that tells the soul of Ischia — Rete News 24
Come and savour rabbit Ischian style with us
There is no need to wait for the next festival to enjoy authentic rabbit Ischian style. At Nascondiglio dell'Amore we prepare it according to the traditional recipe all year round, served on our panoramic terrace overlooking the sea of Ischia. If you want to discover how this dish comes to life, read our recipe for rabbit Ischian style and our in-depth look at the role of rabbit in the cuisine of Ischia.
Take a look at our menu and book your table: we look forward to sharing the authentic flavour of the island with you.