(LAST EDITED/UPDATED: XX MONTH 2012)
Here are some links about attending a sagre / feste (food themed or religious festivals) in Italy:
INFORMATION
- Reading Sagra Posters – By James Martin – Source: Wandering Italy
- The Sagra – June 23, 2011 – Contributed by Anne Robichaud – Source: ItalianNotebook – "The Free, Brief, Daily email from Italy read by (tens of) thousands worldwide!"
- Sagra - What is an Italian Sagra? – By Martha Bakerjian – Source: Italy Travel section of About.com
- Le Sagre - le belle Feste - Italy´s local festivals – Source: L'Ariete – "Countryhouse in the heart of Renaissance Italy" – In English, German, Italian
- Le Marche; Sagre and Festivals – Source: living in le marche
- Le Sagre in Maremma – "Traditional Food Festivals and Feasts – A very good description on what to expect at a sagre." – Source: The Maremma Guide – "Maremma's beauty will capture your heart, Her wildernesses touch your soul."
- sagreinitalia.it – In Italian Only – Source: web site – "Il portale delle sagre, fiere e manifestazioni tradizionali (The site of festivals, fairs and traditional events)"
- Anne's Travel Notes - Summer is the Time for Sagra! – by: Anne Robichaud – Source: Found in Stores of slow travel – "Travel slowly, staying in vacation rentals (villas, farms, cottages, apartments)"
- The Umbrian Sagra Survival Guide – Rebecca Brigolante – NOTE: Much of what Rebecca writes applies to sagre in Tuscany. The main difference is the duration of the sagra. – Source: Brigolante Guest Apartments – "Agritourism in Umbria – Vacation Home Rental Near Assisi". – In English, French, German, Italian
- friends and family in italy – blogger: taccarinoinitaly (Martha S. Taccarino) – Source: web site
- Snail Sagra Poster – May 25, 2012
- Wild boar in Lucignano – May 25, 2012
- Ms. Adventures in Italy – "MY STOMACH, THE WORLD" – blogger and more: Sara Rosso – Source: web site
- Strawberry Festival, Sagra delle Fragole in Italy – June 24th, 2010
- OU BlogAbroad (Oklahoma University) – bloggers: various – Source: web site
- La Sagra in Ponte Alla Chiassa – Sat. October 1, 2011
- TBS
- ANNOUNCEMENTS (PUBLICITY) FOR A SAGRA / FESTA
- GETTING THE WORD OUT
- Found on sagre / feste posters
- The posters may be in bright neon colors: green, orange, pink, etc.
- Found on banners
- These banners may be located on buildings, fences, overhead across a street, etc.
- Found on flyers, handbills left in bars, restaurants and other business establishments.
- Found in mailers sent to homes, apartments and businesses in the local area.
- Found on entertainment posters
- These separate posters are for entertainment or about entertainers appearing and performing at a specific sagra / festa.
- These specific entertainment posters will start appearing on the roads by or where the sagra / festa is being held.
- WHEN: ANNUAL EVENT
- Usually occurs the same time and location every year or for example, depending on whenever Easter is - 2 weeks after
- Because of this fact, the banners and posters normally do not appear until 2 weeks before the start of the sagra / festa. There are exceptions (popularity, size, etc.) to when the banners and posters will start appearing sometimes 4 weeks prior to the sagra / festa
- WHO BENEFITS FROM A SAGRA / FESTA
- Usually, the sagra / festa.is a fund raisers for the youth sports teams or a comune (town, village, etc.) project or a group in the community
- WHO RUNS/OPERATES THE SAGRA / FESTA
- Its all done by volunteers from all age groups. Except for the food preparation and cooking, they are inexperienced individuals.
- Many things get donated to the sagra / festa.
- LOCATION OF SAGRA / FESTA
- Very few sagra / festa provide directions to their respective event. When my wife and I first started to attend sagre / feste, we did not know where they were being held. Now, we know to look for: a campo sportivo (sports field). the centro storico (historic center) of a town or village, a giardini pubblici (public garden), white tents, etc.
- Also, you can look for entertainment or entertainer's posters along the side of the road
- TIMES
- They are found on the poster and the TIMES are in a 24 hour format:
- cena (dinner) usually starts between 19,00 (7:00 PM) - 20,00 (9:00 PM)
- pranzo (lunch) ONLY ON SUNDAY starts between 12,00 (12:00 PM) - 13,00 (1:00 PM) and is usually over between 15,00 (3:00 PM) - 15,30 (3:30 PM)
- entertainment (singing or dancing, etc.) starts at 21,30 (9:30 PM)
- My wife and I like to go early to avoid crowds and to find the sagra / festa, if we have not been to the sagra or festa before, or to find relatively close-in parking. Depending on the popularity and size of the sagra / festa, there may get be a shuttle bus to take you to the event.
- WHAT'S TO EAT
- If is a sagra, there may be a food theme, e.g., anatra (duck), ciliegia (cherries), cinghiale (wild boar), pesce (fish), struzzo (ostrich), oca (goose), pasta, pizza, tartufo (truffles), porcini / funghi (mushrooms), etc. If it's a festa, there may be a culinary specialty, food speciality or gastronomic speciality from the surrounding area.
- There will be food choices for most folks. However, for vegetarians and vegans, there may be. In Toscana/Tuscany, a typical menu for cena (dinner) may look like the following:
- Antipasto (appetizer) – In Toscana/Tuscany, it will be crostini with various toppings, for example, grounded chicken livers, pomodori (tomatoes), etc. and slices of pecorino (sheep cheese), prosciutto, salami, etc. and a sagra / festa specialty item
- Primi piatti (first course), usually pasta - couple choices
- Secondi piatti (second course), usually the specialty of the sagra or festa plus a few other choices that may include but not limited to bistecca (steak), maiale (pork), etc.
- Vendure or contorni (vegetables): cannelloni beans, patate fritte (french fries potatoes)
- Insalata (green salad) served with olio e aceto (oil and vinegar) - NO other choices!
- Dolci (dessert)
- COSTS
- The price for your meal is posted or listed on a menu board: a full/complete (completo) menu or order just whatever you would like to eat or pizza. You can usually make your selections on a pre-printed form (if available) and pay at a cassa (cashier). Then, you take a printed receipt with your selections on it to where there is a person directing you to sit. If there is no person telling you where to be seated, you seat yourself at an available table for your meal.
- Normally whatever you order will cost a whole lot less than a restaurant meal
- ACTUAL EXPENSE
- There is a coperto (cover charge) usually around 2 Euros or less.
- There is a charge for beverages (bevande) except where you may have ordered the full/complete (completo) menu selection:
- water: naturale (still) or frizzante/gassata (bubbles)
- vino - rosso o bianco (red or white wine)
- biera (beer)
- coke (no diet soda selection)
- caffè (espresso)
- There is a charge for dessert.
- ENTERTAINMENT
- Starting around 21,30 (9:30 PM), you may find one or more of the following taking place:
- ballo (dancing) – all types: ballroom, disco, tango, samba, rumba, line, etc.
- (singing)
- SEE ALSO:
- Info on 2012 Events and Festivals (feste or sagre) in Toscana/Tuscany *, dated Wednesday, January 25, 2012
.The above links as of this date are/were current. If anyone has any suggestions for any other additional web sites and/or links for reference, please feel free to post your comment and I'll update this blog entry.
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That's it for Friday, 1 June 2012: venerdì 1 giugno 2012
Ciao, Ben
Moving2Italy2 – #1 source of links About, For or On Italy for those individuals moving, traveling or already living in Italy.
Today’s quote is an Italian proverb, author unknown.
"L'appetito vien mangiando."
"Appetite comes with eating."
When you have a free moment or two, please read my wife's interesting and entertaining blog about our life in Italy with photographs:
Friends and Family in Italy
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Please note: The time listed below for this posting is Central European Time (CET)/ GMT+1.
(LAST EDITED/UPDATED: XX MONTH 2012)
© Benjamin H. Licodo, 2005 - 2012, All Rights Reserved.
