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Sagra: The best Italian food festivals to visit in September

The Local Italy
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Sagra: The best Italian food festivals to visit in September
September is an excellent time to be in Italy if you're a fan of local food festivals. Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP

If you're visiting Italy in September, you won't want to miss the many local food fairs held around the country. Here are some of the best 'sagre' you can stop by in the coming weeks.

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One of the best things about visiting Italy in the autumn months is having the opportunity to attend a sagra, a type of harvest festival or fair centred around one particular food or drink item local to the town hosting it.

sagra has a fairly broad definition: it could last for several weeks or one day, and might consist of anything from raucous celebrations with music and dancing to more relaxed tasting experiences amid food stalls and wooden benches. It will usually be hosted in a field or a piazza (square), and entry is free.

What all sagre have in common is the focus on eating and drinking fresh local produce, and the assurance that you won't leave unsated.

While October is the month with the most sagre, by September there are already a good number taking place throughout the country that are worth seeking out if you're in the area.

Here are just a few of the sagre happening across Italy this September.

Calabria

Peperoncino Festival (chili festival), September 6th-10th in Diamante. 

Campania

Sagra della Rana (frog festival), September 1st-3rd in Marcianise.

Sagra del Cinghiale (wild boar festival), all Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until the end of October in Dugenta.

The 10th annual Festa del Fagiolo (bean festival), September 8th-10th and 15th-17th in Volturara Irpina.

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Emilia Romagna

Sagra del pinzino e dell'arrosticino (fried bread dough and meat skewers festival), 30th August-10th September in Ferrara.

Sagra del Tartufo (truffle festival), August 30th-September 11th in Sant'Agostino, Ferrara.

The 56th annual Sagra dell'Uva e del Lambrusco Grasparossa (grapes and lambrusco wine festival), September 16th-17th and 23rd-24th in Castelvetro di Modena.

Sagra Provinciale dell’Uva (grapes and wine festival), September 14th-17th in Riolo Terme.

Sagra della Salamina da Sugo al Cucchiaio (pork salami festival), September 21st-24th and 28th-30th in Madonna Boschi, Ferrara.

Truffles in Italy

Sant'Agostino, near Ferrara, will hold its annual truffle festival between August 30th and September 11th. Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP

Friuli Venezia Giulia

Festa dei funghi (mushroom festival), September 9th-10th in Forni di Sopra.

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Lazio

Sagra della porchetta di Ariccia (spitted pork festival), September 1st-3rd in Ariccia.

Festa del Fungo Porcino (porcini mushroom festival), September 7th-24th in Lariano.

Sagra del Ciammellocco (ciammellocco biscuit festival), September 9th-10th in Cretone.

Sagra degli Gnocchi (gnocchi festival), September 15th-17th in Castelnuovo di Porto.

Lombardy

Sagra della Rana (frog festival), September 1st-3rd in Sartirana Lomellina, Pavia.

Sagra dei Crotti (natural cave cellars festival), September 2nd-3rd and 9th-10th in Chiavenna, Sondrio.

Fungolandia (mushroom festival), September 2nd-10th in Valle Brembana.

Marche

Festa del Ciauscolo (ciauscolo salami festival), September 9th-10th in Sarnano

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Piedmont

Gusto di Meliga (sorghum festival), September 17th in Chiusa di San Michele.

Sagra del Pomodoro (tomato festival), September 2nd in Cambiano.

Fiera Nazionale del Peperone (bell pepper festival), September 1st-10th in Carmagnola.

Tomatoes in Italy

Cambiano, Piedmont, will hold the 46th edition of its popular tomato festival this September. Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI / AFP

Puglia

Sagra del Maiale (pig festival), September 1st-3rd, Villa Baldassarri, Lecce.

Sagra della Zampina del Bocconcino e del Buon Vino (zampinabocconcino and good wine festival), September 29th-October 2nd, Sammichele di Bari.

Sicily

Sagra dell'Arancino (fried arancino rice ball festival) September 7th-10th in Ficarazzi.

Festa della Noce (walnut festival), September 30th, October 1st, 7th and 8th in Motta Camastra.

Cous Cous Fest, September 15th-24th, San Vito Lo Capo.

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Tuscany

Sagra della bistecca (steak festival), August 31st-September 3rd in Badia al Pino, Arezzo.

Festa della mora (blackberry festival), September 2nd-3rd in Vaglia.

The 51st annual Expo del Chianti Classico (Classic Chianti Expo), September 7th-10th in Chianti.

Settimana del Miele ('honey week'), September 8th-10th in Montalcino.

The 58th annual Sagra del Cinghiale (wild boar festival), September 6th-10th in Capalbio.

Umbria

Primi d’Italia (national first courses festival), September 28th-October 1st in Foligno.

Veneto

Festa dea Sardea (sardine festival), September 1st-3rd, 8th-10th in Salzano. 

Festa del Baccalà (salted cod festival), September 14th-25th in Sandrigo.

Festa della Polenta (polenta festival), September 8th-24th in Castelminio di Resana.

This list is not exhaustive. Did we miss out your favourite September sagra? Leave a comment below to let us know.

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mldoyle2000 2022/08/29 16:19
There's a Peperoncino Festival in Diamante in Calabria on 7-11 September 2022. Calabria can get forgotten about
vowmeeja 2022/08/28 00:54
Trevi, Umbria: Mostra-Mercato del Sedano Nero di Trevi e Sagra della Salsiccia (Black celery and Sausage festival!). October 16th.
bcamsel 2022/08/26 19:38
Are there any festivals in Friuli-Venezia Giulia?
valeriegster 2022/08/26 19:27
Can you show any Sagre in Le Marche please?

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