{"id":739,"date":"2017-01-15T17:40:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-15T17:40:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-07-10T14:32:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T14:32:15","slug":"experience-the-italian-sagra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/romancandletours.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/15\/experience-the-italian-sagra\/","title":{"rendered":"EXPERIENCE THE ITALIAN SAGRA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Experience the Italian ‘Sagra’<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Italian<\/a><\/div>\n
Photo credit: Fremantlestory<\/a><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n
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Picture a nighttime glow from a grassy field on a hilltop surrounded by a tiny village. There are outlines of long, candlelit tables, people sitting in chairs, white tents, and colorful hanging decorations. As you approach you hear the hum of voices, the high-pitched laughter of children playing, slicing and sizzling from a busy outdoor kitchen on one side, and a band warming up instruments on the other.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A waft of an amazing aroma of garlic, \u2018basilico,\u2019 freshly chopped tomatoes, cooking meat, melting cheese, and baking bread envelopes you, leaving your taste buds swooning. The long tables, covered in traditional red and white checkered table clothes, are filled with plates, glasses, napkins, and moving hands holding bottles of wine, forks wrapped in pasta, and pieces of \u2018pane\u2019 dripping in olive oil. It feels like you are entering a magical kingdom where time is eternal and joy is eminent.<\/p>\n

\"Italian<\/a>
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Photo credit: Bardolino Top<\/a><\/i><\/span>
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Then peoples\u2019 happy faces come into view. Lips are curved into smiles. There are flashes of teeth and wine glasses. You can hear the pouring of wine, the new orders coming in and out of the kitchen, and snatches of conversation. Are you really outside? Now, it feels warm and familiar, like you have stepped into a good friend\u2019s home after a long time away and you have already been offered a drink and told that dinner is almost ready. You feel cozy, safe, and welcome.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

People are relaxed and are in no rush to finish or leave the haven of their seats. They are here with friends, neighbors, parents, grandparents, and children, but you don\u2019t know who is with who because each group is sitting next to each other. It looks like everyone is here together to share the experience. And they are, everyone is here to enjoy one thing and that is, the food.<\/p>\n

A \u2018sagra\u2019 is a festival that celebrates one type of food, drink, or product from a town or region. This could be any local product from mushrooms to wine to hazelnuts. They are held in small towns in every region throughout Italy, usually in the late summer and early autumn.<\/p>\n

If not for the food, people come to \u2018sagre\u2019 (the plural form of \u2018sagra\u2019) to spend time in communities they enjoy or to discover new ones. They come to celebrate what their beloved communities produce and cook. Everyone comes to relax and experience the simplicities of life including food, wine, music, fresh air, and the company of others.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\nAt the \u2018sagra,\u2019 it is as if our modern lives with their modern complexities are forgotten. They are pushed aside for one evening of simplistic and absolutely authentic enjoyment. Forget work, emails, and phone calls, at \u2018sagra\u2019 focus on what and who is in front of you. Then dive in.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When you taste the pasta with wild boar, allow your senses to sink into the experience. When you sit down, talk to your neighbor and when your new Italian friend offers you some of the wine that he or she is sharing with his or her group, take it. Wait for your next course without anxiety or frustration. Don\u2019t worry, it is coming. All in due time. This gives you a chance to enjoy your wine, talk more to your friends, and savor the setting sun over the trees on the other side of the hilltop.<\/p>\n

When the next course comes, repeat. Focus, inhale, savor, and enjoy. Keep speaking with your new Italian friends. Offer them some of your wine. Don\u2019t get up from the table until everything has been experienced. Get up when your plates have been cleared, wine glasses are empty, and the candles have burnt out. Do you hear the band gearing up to play? Dance now, savor and enjoy that too. This is the true experience of the Italian \u2018sagra.\u2019<\/p>\n

The word \u2018sagra\u2019 comes from the Latin word \u2018sacrum\u2019 which means holy or sacred. To me, this makes perfect sense; don\u2019t all Italians uphold food as divine? However, the roots of these festivals actually go far deeper than an attachment to cuisine.
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Photo credit: Sagre nei Borghi<\/a><\/i><\/span>
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\u2018Sagre\u2019 actually started hundreds of years ago as religious celebrations to pay tribute to the bounties of harvest. A town\u2019s \u2018sagra\u2019 served as a reason for the people to get together to feast after working tirelessly year round. At these festivals, people also often enjoyed popular sports of the time such as jousting, archery, or horse racing. <\/span><\/p>\n

Today \u2018sagre\u2019 are less focused on religion, but still hold the same emphasis on cooking and feasting. The food is cooked outside by local people making \u2018sagra\u2019 dining feel like stepping into an Italian family\u2019s kitchen. A special menu is created for the \u2018sagra\u2019 and the celebrated product is used in many of the dishes. The product is even incorporated into traditional dishes, ones that usually don\u2019t call for this ingredient.
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\nFor those of you who are familiar with Italians\u2019 dedication to authenticity and tradition when it comes to cooking, this is an anomaly. Eating at a \u2018sagra\u2019 could be your chance to experience a slight twist to Italian cooking, but one that is still bursting with Italian mastery and flavor. Maybe you have already tasted \u2018la bistecca alla Florentina\u2019 on your trip to Florence<\/a>, but would you like to try the Florentine steak served with truffles at the \u2018La Sagra del Tartufo\u2019 or the Truffle Festival? Yes, please!<\/span><\/p>\n

If you want an unforgettable, absolutely Italian sensory experience, \u2018sagre\u2019 will not disappoint. Italy has perfected the art of simple, pure cooking, entertaining, and enjoying. They are proud of their cuisine and should be. Their ingredients are some of the finest in the world. Hundreds of years of family recipe secrets have been handed down from generation to generation. This lethal combination makes for an unsurpassable cuisine.<\/p>\n

For people visiting Italy, experiencing the food is usually one of the top priorities and it absolutely should be. People from all over the world flock to Italy to taste the pizza in Naples<\/a>, fish in Sicily<\/a>, steak in Florence<\/a>, pasta carbonara in Rome<\/a>, and gelato in every city. Italians visit each others regions to try these things. They debate about it. Do you like Roman pizza or pizza from Napoli better?<\/p>\n

Italians know where to look for the best of the best, but visitors do not have this advantage. Visitors certainly don\u2019t think to look outside the big cities and main areas, to the countryside, for some of Italy\u2019s best food. Here is your advantage; you now know that some of Italy\u2019s best food is found at \u2018sagre.\u2019 All you have to do now is go! Below are some tips on how to go and what to do at your first \u2018sagra.\u2019 <\/span>
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Look for the signs: <\/span><\/h3>\n

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Photo credit: Bob & Jenny’s B&B<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Upon your arrival and throughout your travels in Italy, look out for the \u2018sagra\u2019 signs. They pop up everywhere, especially in smaller towns and villages, during the summer. Even in Italian, they are quite easy to read. Usually the posters hold the name of the festival such as \u2018La Sagra della Polenta,\u2019 the location, the dates and times, and the sponsors of the event. <\/span>
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Plan getting to and from the \u2018sagra\u2019: <\/span><\/h3>\n
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After choosing a \u2018sagra,\u2019 research how to get there before leaving for the festival. I recommend, especially if you are staying in a city or bigger town, renting a car. Otherwise, if it\u2019s not too far from where you are staying, take a taxi or look up local transportation. Buses often run to the center of every town. If using a taxi or bus, make sure you can get back home at the end of the night. Arrive early so you can fully enjoy the experience and get your food order in. <\/span>
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Find the main \u2018piazza\u2019 and follow:<\/span><\/h3>\n
\"Italian<\/a><\/div>\n
Photo credit: Candoni wines<\/a><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n


\nDon\u2019t worry about finding the exact location of the festival, especially if taking a taxi or bus. Find the main \u2018piazza\u2019 in the town that your \u2018sagra\u2019 is in. Then follow the steady throng of people and the \u2018sagra\u2019 signs to the festival. Maybe even simply detecting the delightful smell of freshly cooking food will lead you there.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Bring cash: <\/span><\/h3>\n
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Photo credit: Candoni wines<\/a><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n


\nThe food and drink at these festivals are cheap, so don\u2019t despair, but definitely bring cash. You may not be able to pay any other way. Also, there are often merchants selling local, fresh produce, fruit, nuts, cheeses, and more, that are too tasty to pass up. These may be slightly more expensive than what you can find in the supermarket, but level of quality and freshness make them absolutely worth it. <\/span>
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Be communal, sit with strangers: <\/span><\/h3>\n
\"Italian<\/a><\/div>\n
Photo credit: Italia a tavola<\/a><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n


\nUpon arrival, sit at any table. Don\u2019t be shy and don\u2019t worry if you are sitting across from your friend or loved one, but are elbow to elbow with strangers. After relaxing into the communal situation and when appropriate, talk to these strangers! Enjoy the meal together. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Drink \u2018vino\u2019: <\/span><\/h3>\n
\"Italian<\/a><\/div>\n
Photo credit: UrbanPost<\/a><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n


\nThere will be both beer and wine at \u2018sagre.\u2019 If you drink alcohol, go for some wine. You are in Italy after all. If you have done your research order the wine typical of the region. If you are not sure, ask. <\/span>
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Order lots of food and share: <\/span><\/h3>\n
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Photo credit: MangiaeBevi<\/a><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n


\nWhen deciding what food to order, definitely choose the items that contain the celebrated ingredient. Also, order more than you think and share it with whoever you are with. Don\u2019t worry if it\u2019s too much. You don\u2019t have to eat everything. Plus, if you eat too much you can always skip dessert. You will probably find that in the end, your food will be so fresh and tantalizing that not much will go wasted anyway. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Do bring a jacket, don\u2019t bring too much: <\/span><\/h3>\n
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Photo credit: Bed & Breakfast Italia<\/a><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n


\nBring a jacket for when the air cools and the sun goes down. If you are a writer, bring a pad to jot down some memories. Bring a camera if you want, but most of all focus on the experience. Other than that, don\u2019t bring anything too heavy. You might have to hike up a hill or want to get up and dance to the music after your feast. Wear comfortable shoes. If you miss the last bus back to your hotel, you might have to walk! But that\u2019s ok, because you will be happy, content, and full of the Italian experience. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Be hungry and enjoy: <\/span><\/h3>\n
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Photo credit: ilgiunco<\/a><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n
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Definitely bring big eyes and your hunger. You are in for the feast of a lifetime. Most people have never experience this side of Italy before. Below are some of my favorite \u2018sagre\u2019 from 2016. We\u2019ll have a list of some upcoming 2017 \u2018sagre\u2019 closer to the summer. <\/span><\/p>\n

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My Top Three \u2018Sagre\u2019 from 2016<\/span><\/h3>\n
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For those visiting Florence and Tuscany<\/a>: <\/span><\/h4>\n


\nWhat? La Sagra del Tartufo – The Truffle Festival
\nWhen? 25 September to 2 October 2016
\nWhere? Piazza Pertini in Fiesole
\nWhy? Only a short drive from Florence, this quaint festival in the picturesque countryside just above Florence is for the ultimate truffle fan. Eat bruschetta with truffles, crostini with truffles, pizza with truffles, pasta with truffles, and truffles for dessert. This is for people who want a quieter, completely authentic \u2018sagra\u2019 experience. <\/span><\/p>\n

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For those in Lazio including Rome<\/a>: <\/span><\/h4>\n


\nWhat? La Sagra della Castagna – The Chestnutt Festival When? 29 September to 2 October, 6-9 October 2016 Where? Piazza Umberto in Soriano nel Cimino<\/span><\/p>\n

Why? Not only can you find the best roast chestnuts of the year here, but you can step back in time and attend a glorious banquet complete with locals dressed in medieval attire as well as jousting and archery.<\/p>\n

What? La Sagra dell\u2019Uva – The Grape Festival
\nWhen? 30 September to 3 October 2016
\nWhere? Piazza San Barnaba in Marino
\nWhy? Full of wine, this is one of the most exuberant and fun festivals. It\u2019s also easy for people in Rome to get to as it is only about fifteen miles away. There is a medieval costume parade through the town center where the fountain flows with wine instead of water specially for the festival.
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\n<\/span>Written by: Becky Heeley<\/a>
\nIf you liked this article, read also “BEST WINE FESTIVALS IN ITALY THAT YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS<\/a>“<\/span><\/p>\n

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