Food and wine events

Throughout the year, Romagna hosts numerous food-themed festivals. Some are tied to a seasonal product, others grew out of a local tradition or a historical figure. They are the most genuine way to taste dishes that would otherwise only be found at home or in the area's most authentic trattorias.

Autumn festivals: pork and chestnuts

The Sagra del Porcello in Brisighella

In Brisighella, on the first Sunday of November, the Sagra del Porcello celebrates the Mora Romagnola, a native pig breed once at risk of extinction. Stalls serve ciccioli (pork cracklings), coppa di testa (head cheese), cured meats and migliaccio, a traditional dessert made with cooked pig's blood.

Slices of ciccioli, coppa and traditional cured meats displayed on a counter — Ciccioli and coppa, among the traditional cured meats you can taste at the Sagra del Porcello. Photo by Nicola Quirico, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized.

The Sagra della Castagna in Premilcuore

In Premilcuore, between the second and third Sunday of October, the Sagra della Castagna has been running for more than sixty years. Roasted chestnuts, tagliatelle and chestnut-based desserts accompany the autumn produce of the Casentinesi Forests. One of the two Sundays is also dedicated to Raviggiolo, a Slow Food Presidium cheese from the Tuscan-Romagnol Apennines.

Roasted chestnuts in a holed pan over the fire — Roasted chestnuts, the stars of the Sagra della Castagna. Photo by Razzairpina, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Street food and food culture

The International Street Food Festival in Cesena

In Cesena, generally on the first weekend of October, the International Street Food Festival was launched in 2000 on the initiative of Slow Food. It was the first Italian event entirely devoted to street food, starting out from piadina as a way of reading a street cuisine that was, at the time, rarely told.

Freshly cooked hot piadina romagnola on the testo — Piadina, the starting point of Cesena's International Street Food Festival. Photo by Lasagnolo9, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized.

The Festa Artusiana in Forlimpopoli

In Forlimpopoli, usually in the last week of June, the Festa Artusiana takes its name from Pellegrino Artusi, the celebrated gastronome born in the town. The historic centre fills with food stalls, while Casa Artusi hosts talks and discussions on the culture of home cooking.

The salt of Cervia: Sapore di Sale

In Cervia, in the first week of September, Sapore di Sale takes its name from the Armèsa de Sel, the ritual with which the salt workers closed the season by carrying the harvested salt to the warehouses. Today the event is also a culinary one, with Italian and international chefs invited to reinterpret the flavours typical of the salt town.