What is a Sagra?
When I travel I love to seek out local events as much as possible. It is a way to gain insight into a culture and mingle among the locals. Attending a sagra in Italy is one way a person can get a taste of the local cuisine and culture when traveling there. A sagra is essentially a festival that is linked to a local food tradition, such as artichokes, apples, or rabbit.
Sagras can be found throughout the year, but are typically held during the summer months. Throughout the years I have attended several sagras. Below is a sampling of some of those sagras. Then read on to find out how you can attend a sagra in Italy the next time you visit.
Sagra del Pollo
Several years ago my husband and I attended a sagra in Monasterolo di Savigliano, which is a small town in Piedmont. At this particular sagra, pollo (chicken), was the star. It was featured in a variety of ways, fried, on a kebab stick, cold in vinegar, etc. However, they also had other food available, as well, including appetizers, cheese, dessert, and even other meat, such as sausage, for those who don’t enjoy chicken.
Often at a sagra there are other events, such as musical performances, games, rides, or even a parade, but at this particular sagra we basically just dined and dashed.
Fiera regionale del miele di Montezemolo
A few years ago we attended a honey sagra in Montezemolo, which is a small village nestled in the Sorgenti del Belbo Nature Reserve in Piedmont. They have been hosting a festival since 1979, and the town is an important member of the National Association of the Cities of Honey, which promotes beekeeping. Not only was there a variety of honey products for sale and prepared foods, but also a parade.
Festival delle Sagre
My favorite sagra to date has been the Festival delle Sagre in Asti, which is held during the
second week of September. This is a
fabulous event where everyone is donning their wine glasses around their neck with tickets in hand, perusing all of the different sagra stands. A variety of towns that all hold their own sagras are represented at the Festival delle Sagre. Basically, you can sample the specialties of all of the local area towns and villages in one place.
Some more memorable dishes that I ate included a filled pasta with donkey, tiny fried fish, and zabiglione di moscato (delicious!). Not only was there a variety of food to choose from, but there was a really unique parade on Sunday morning. The parade participants were often dressed in traditional clothing demonstrating the making or procuring of their particular gastronomic specialty. My most vivid memory was of being beamed with a “truffle” that one of the special truffle hunting dogs flipped off of the flatbed trailer that was covered in dirt….just magical.
How to Locate a Sagra in Italy
This is what you need to know. Sagras are usually held in small towns and villages, which may make traveling to them a bit more difficult if you do not have a car. In order to find a sagra we often use the local events magazine. For example, we use Piu Eventi, which lists all types of events for the entire month for a particular area.
Another way to locate a sagra is to look on the small billboard that is posted near the center of the town. These boards advertise events in the area (and serve as a place to post obituaries!). Of course these posters are in Italian, but the dates and location are easily discernible.
Also know that sagras are usually held over the weekend, but can extend a few days before or after the weekend. Occasionally they also take place over two weekends. Also, the timing of the sagras often coincides with the harvest. For example, strawberry sagras are usually held at the beginning of June, while a mushroom or pumpkin sagra will be held in the fall.
