Few things are as inherent in Italian culture and tradition as they are festivals. From north to south of Italy, each region has its appointments. Every city, every small village. Folklore festivals, which attract tourists from all over the world. And that awaken the desire to be together, to feel like a community. To have fun in a simple way. That's why, with the green light in the yellow and white area, which allowedorganize parties and festivals starting from last June 15th, the organizational machine was immediately set in motion.
The history of festivals in Italy
The word "festival" derives from the Latin "sacer", "sacred". The reason? The link with the religion. The festivals were in fact organized on the occasion of a religious celebration, typically the commemoration of the patron saint of the town. And even today, in many cases, it is like this. In others, the festival celebrates a food and wine product local. In still others, it preserves a memory of the past: the celebration of the harvest, the traditions in the ancient way. And if originally the festivals were celebrated in front of temples or churches, with animal sacrifices or offerings of the products of the earth, today they involve entire villages with their stages and shows, rides and markets.
What are the oldest festivals in Italy? There are several appointments that compete for the primacy. The Friulian Festival of the Osei of Sacile, for example, has reached its 748th edition. It is celebrated on the first weekend of September (the appointment this year is for the 5th), and it is there oldest ornithological event in Europe. The exhibition and trade of singing birds have their roots in the ancient market of San Lorenzo, and in the custom that people had on the night of August 10 to find themselves in front of the city walls for a spontaneous market of singing birds. and by recall.
It is also very ancient Grape Festival of Marino (Rome). Which, scheduled every first Sunday in October, was established in 1925 by the poet Leone Ciprelli (the National Opera Dopolavoro recognized the prestigious title of "festival"). Alongside the profane feast, the Madonna del Rosario has always been celebrated. An evocative appointment, even now that the "harvest" is no longer held. How suggestive is the Almond blossom festival in Agrigento: every year, at the beginning of March and for about a week, we celebrate the arrival of spring. Almond trees bloom, life flourishes again. And, in the splendid Sicilian city, folkloristic groups arrive to send a message of peace and equality.
Food and wine appointments, the most famous in Italy
When we talk about festivals, in Italy, we mainly talk about food and wine festivals. Just think of the Fish Festival of Chioggia which, since 1938, has attracted visitors from Italy and the world. Here they cook fried fish and clams, blue fish and typical specialties. We sit on the wooden tables, make friends, and spend hours of joy. However, the 2021 edition will not take place as it did before the pandemic. "The traditional festival in corso del Popolo with seven stands cannot be done. At the moment the idea is to have it spread over a longer period of time and in more areas of the territory at different times”Reads the Municipality website.
The first and second weekend of October is held there instead Chestnut Festival of Soriano nel Cimino (in the province of Viterbo). Which is not just a celebration of the chestnut, but a historical reenactment that has its roots in the fifteenth century. And that gives life to a series of suggestive events: the Joust of the rings, the Tournament of the Archers, the Popular Games. Further south, the Cous Cous Fest it is much more than a festival. Scheduled this year from 17 to 26 September in the splendid setting of San Vito Lo Capo, in Sicily, it unites peoples and cultures. And it is a real "integration festival". Actually, in Italy, every month there are unmissable festivals. Appointments of taste and fun, to immerse yourself in the culture of the country. And to feel a little more united.
Three unmissable festivals
Impossible to make an exhaustive list of Italian festivals, but some deserve a mention. In Carmagnola (Turin), from the August 27 to the September 5 the Pepper Festival is staged. Or, rather, the National Pepper Fair of Carmagnola with markets, workshops, food and wine tastings, concerts, theatrical events, literary evenings, exhibitions, commercial reviews, sporting events, solidarity initiatives, events and activities for children. An unmissable opportunity to get to know the "Re Peperone", in the four declinations recognized by the Consortium: square (bragheis), ox horn (ment), spinning top and tumaticot. In Parma, 11 and 12 and 18 and 19 September, the appointment is with Borgotaro Mushroom Fair. The only European mushroom with the IGP designation, the special porcino is harvested only in the areas of Albareto, Borgo Val di Taro and Pontremoli. Its festival is all a succession of show cooking and tastings, with the possibility of buying rich handfuls of mushrooms. Finally in Lazio, from 3 to 5 September, the Sagra della Porchetta di Ariccia brings the Roman food and wine tradition to the table. And it celebrates an IGP certified food that everyone should know.
The rules to be respected
Festivals can only be organized in the yellow and white areas. And it is necessary that they take place in compliance with the rules:
- provision of adequate information about the rules to be respected, understandable also to foreigners (signs, posters, audio-video systems and / or personnel in charge)
- a priori definition of the maximum number of people admitted, based on the spaces available
- use of signs on the ground to define obligatory routes, entrances and exits
- respect for safety distance (at least one meter)
- separate paths for entry and exit
- temperature measurement, with no access if it exceeds 37.5 ° C
- physical barriers at the reception and at the cash desks, or masks and sanitizing gel for the staff
- favor electronic payment methods
- installation of dispenser / sanitizing gels at the entrance, exit, bathrooms and checkout area
- seats spaced at least 1 meter apart
- Obligation to wear a mask from the age of 6
Featured photo taken from the Facebook page of the Chioggia Fish Festival.
