Do you love Italian food, and are you thinking of taking a holiday in Italy? Then make sure not to miss out on the best Italian Food Festivals. Check out the dates of some of the most famous Made in Italy Food Festivals: Alba’s truffle, Perugia’s chocolate, red and white wines from many different Italian regions. Here are a few suggestions for you to add to your Italian trip.
Italian Food Festivals: celebrating great Food Made in Italy
Travelling in Italy, especially at the end of Spring or in the Summertime, means that you will come across on all sorts of Sagre: the Sausage Sagra, the Hunter’s Sagra, the Red and White Wine Sagra, the Porcino Mushroom Sagra, the Snail Sagra, the Wild Boar Sagra, This Kind of Sagra and That Kind of Sagra. In Italy there is a Sagra for practically everything (and if you don’t believe it, just check out www.sagreinitalia.it). These Festivals are the pulsing heart of Italian fun-lovers.
The word “Sagra” has Latin origins, deriving from the word “sacrum”. Originally the Sagra had religious connotations. Infact, in the Ancient Christian era, popular feasts were celebrated in front of churches (hence the Italian term for parvise: “sagrato”). The important events of the year (Winter, Spring, Harvest), were celebrated with a religious feast.
The common features of the Sagra in Italy are always the same: having fun, enjoying good food, being in the company of good friends, dancing and singing. Each event has a specific theme, which always celebrates good Italian food. It’s the perfect occasion to celebrate food Made in Italy, famous in all the world.
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Travel in Italy: 9 food festivals not to be missed
So, anyone who comes to visit Italy has to find time to take part in a sagra. It’s a unique experience, a true Italian tradition. Here are 9 of the best events that I have picked for you.
Wine Festival in Italy: Chianti (Tuscany)
Italian wine is world-famous, and one of Italy’s best-known wines is the Chianti. The name itself evokes the wine’s unique perfume and flavor, and takes inspiration from the area in which this wine is produced: the Chianti Region. You cannot travel through this region without stopping to taste its wine. There are several different Sagre in the area, but the most important one is without doubt the Expo Chianti Classico, held in the month of September.
Chocolate Festival in Italy: Perugia (Umbria)
The alliance between chocolate and Italy is not immediately obvious, and yet the Bel Paese has a long tradition of patisserie. In fact, one of the most famous Food Festivals Made in Italy is the Chocolate Festival held each year in Perugia, in Umbria. It is so famous that it is renown in the whole of Europe, and that’s why it is called Eurochocolate. In 2022 it will be held in March.
Truffle Festival in Italy: Alba (Piemonte)
Alba is a small town in Piemonte, in Italy, and it is famous all over the world because it is the home of an absolute foodie treasure: the white truffle, perhaps one of the most refined ingredients on the planet. Every year Alba holds Italy’s most important Festival of the White Truffle. sagra del tartufo d’Italia. An event that simply cannot be missed.
Artichoke Festival in Italy: Rome (Lazio)
In some parts of Italy artichokes are a true establishment, especially in Rome, which can truly be called the Artichoke (Carciofo) Capital. This is where some of the most delicious traditional artichoke dishes can be tasted, such as the carciofo alla romana or the carciofo alla giudia. In Rome there are an infinite amount of Artichoke Sagre, most of them held in Spring.
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Cherry Sagra in Italy: Sardegna
Cherries are one of the most favorite summer fruits, and in Italy the grow all over the place. Sardinia is one of the Italian regions that has the most Sagre dedicated to cherries. In June, all over Sardinia, you can easily run into one of these colorful festivals. An extra reason to visit this beautiful island on a motorcycle. scoprire la bellezza dell’isola in sella ad una moto.
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Lemon and Limoncello Sagra in Italy: Costiera Amalfitana (Campania)
The Amalfi Coast is famous for the beauty of its coastline and the sea, and for its delicious food. But it is also known for the scent and the taste of its lemons. This fruit has become famous throughout the world, especially because as it is the one exclusive ingredient needed to make the popular Limoncello. Every year, in July, the most important Italian Lemon and Limoncello Sagra is held in Massa Lubrense, along the beautiful Sorrento coast, not far from the town of Amalfi.
The Lasagna Sagra in Italy: San Lazzaro di Savena (Emilia – Romagna)
I’m taking a guess: after pizza, the most well-known (and well-loved), Italian dish is probably Lasagna. Am I exaggerating? Maybe. In any case Lasagna deserves all the popularity it has. And it also deserves special Sagre, the most important of which is held in its home-region, Emilia-Romagna, in San lazzaro di Savena, not far from Bologna.
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Wild Boar Sagra in Italy: different places in Tuscany
Tuscany is another Italian region full of genuine, rich flavors. One of these is wild boar (also known as wild pig), a perfect protein with which to make delicious ragus and roasts. During the Summer season, all over Tuscany, you’ll find all sorts of Sagre dedicated to Wild Boar. A real culinary treat, especially for true meat-lovers (all the more so if accompanied by a glass of good Tuscan red wine).
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Canederli Festival in Italy
You don’t know what Canederli are? Well, that’s just too bad. And a real shame. They are a delicious culinary speciality found in Northern Italy, between Alto Adige and Trentino (as well as in many Central European countries). The Canederli are big dumplings made with bread that has been soaked in milk and all sorts of different ingredients, such as smoked pork lard or salame. Don’t miss the chance of tasting them one of the many Sagre that are held in Trentino.