In Italy, a sagra (plural: ''sagre'') is a local festival, very often involving food, and frequently a historical pageant and sporting events: when the sporting event is a historical recreation as well, such as a joust or a horse race in costume or armour, it is called a

palio Palio is the name given in Italy to an annual athletic contest, very often of a historical character, pitting the neighbourhoods of a town or the hamlets of a ''comune'' against each other. Typically, they are fought in costume and commemorate som ...

Overview

The various ''sagre'' almost always have their origins in old country fairs or similar entertainments, but many of them now aim at visitors or even foreign tourists, and some, like the Quintana of

Foligno Foligno (; Southern Umbrian: ''Fuligno'') is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clitunno river system. It is located so ...

, had lapsed for many years but have been recently revived. A ''sagra'' is often dedicated to some specific local food, and the name of the sagra includes that food; for example: '' Festival delle Sagre astigiane'', a ''Sagra della Rana'' (frog) at Casteldilago near

Arrone Arrone is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Terni in the Italian region Umbria, located about 70 km southeast of Perugia and about 10 km east of Terni in the Valnerina. History The town was founded by one nobleman from Rom ...

, a ''Sagra della Cipolla'' (onion) at Cannara, a ''Sagra della Melanzana ripiena'' (stuffed eggplant) at

Savona Savona (; lij, Sann-a ) is a seaport and ''comune'' in the west part of the northern Italy, Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea. Savona used to be one of the chie ...

, a ''Sagra della

Polenta Polenta (, ) is a dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. The dish comes from Italy. It may be served as a hot porridge, or it may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried, or grilled. ...

'' at Perticara di Novafeltria, a ''Sagra del Lattarino'' at

Bracciano Bracciano is a small town in the Italian region of Lazio, northwest of Rome. The town is famous for its volcanic lake ( Lago di Bracciano or "Sabatino", the eighth largest lake in Italy) and for a particularly well-preserved medieval castle Cast ...

, a ''Sagra del

Frico Frico (in original Friulian language ''fricò'') is a traditional dish of Friuli, a region in north-east Italy, consisting mainly of heated cheese and, optionally, other ingredients, such as potatoes. Originally frico was prepared in the impov ...

'' at Carpacco-Dignano and so on. Among the most common ''sagre'' are those celebrating

olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: f ...

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils, are som ...

and

pastry Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" suggests ma ...

of various kinds,

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

s, and

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...

References

External links

Comprehensive list of all local festivals in Italy

Editorial selection of the best festivals and events of local products in the Italian territory
{{in lang, it Festivals in Italy Italian cuisine Italian traditions

Overview

See also

References

External links