Villa Literno, the confiscated former sugar factory, hosts the Carnival Citadel project.

From confiscated industrial complex to a space for creativity, culture, and community. The former IPAM sugar factory in Villa Literno, in the Caserta province, is preparing for a new life thanks to the Carnival Citadel project, a collaboration between the Municipality, Agrorinasce, and the Villa Literno Carnival Association.

The first event is scheduled for Sunday, October 18th, at 11 a.m., when the designs for the floats that will enliven the 42nd edition of the Villa Literno Mediterranean Carnival 2027 will be officially presented.

The complex, confiscated from the Passarelli family, businessmen identified as having collusion with the Casalesi clan, will become the operational base for designing and building the event's floats, sets, and choreography. While awaiting the funding needed to complete the Citadel, some of the rooms and outdoor areas will already be made available to the association.

"We can finally say that the Villa Literno Carnival has a new home, a place for gathering, socializing, growth, and discussion," says Mayor Valerio Di Fraia, who also emphasizes the need for broader support from the institutions.

"Regional and national institutions must also do their part with concrete commitments, not only for the Carnival, but also for what this new venue represents for the entire community," emphasizes the mayor.

The project aims to return to the community a property seized from organized crime, transforming it into a resource for the region. The IPAM includes properties for residential, industrial, and commercial purposes, and its confiscation came after two lengthy legal proceedings: the Spartacus trial, concluded in 2010, and the subsequent proceedings before the Preventive Measures Section of the Court of Santa Maria Capua Vetere.

Last July, the Municipality entrusted Agrorinasce with the twenty-year management of the entire industrial complex. The company, committed to the administration and valorization of assets confiscated from the Camorra, will work with the relevant institutions and associations to guide the recovery process.

The presentation of the sketches therefore represents the first concrete step toward a new use for the area. The goal is to make the former sugar factory a hub for Carnival and, more generally, for the cultural and social activities of the Villa Literno community.