There are thousands of traditional Italian food festivals in Italy, due to the tremendous and unique cuisine of every corner in Italy. And each festival has its reason to exist.

Every region in Italy has its recipes due to local ingredients; also, for each festival (religious, cultural, or any other) Italians have created a special dish to celebrate it.

Here you have a selection of Food Festivals classified by Season:

Winter Food Festivals

• Festa di Antonio: 17th January. During this festival, a blessing of animals takes place. Also, people collect wood to build a pyramid to burn, and also to construct a straw witch who represents the winter. The typical food of this festival is the piglet

Spring Food Festivals

• Sagra Della Pie Fritta: The meal for the festival is Fried flatbread, and it is celebrated in Bologna
• Sagra del Pesce: It’s the celebration that fishers make in honor of their patron saint San Fortunato. The typical meal is fried fish and local wines.

Summer Food Festivals

• Festa di Noiantri: The celebration is held in Roma, and the meal is Bruschetta. 
• Sagra dell’Anguilla: this food festival celebrates eels in all its classes. 
• Sagra Delle Melanzane Ripiene: The typical meal is eggplant and the stuffed eggplant.

Autumn Food Festivals

• Sagra Della Nocciola: This festival is famous because of the cakes, sweets and because of the footrace held during the celebration.
• Sarga degli Stacchioddi: People prepare homemade pasta; 
• La Vendemmia del Nonna: Families get together and prepare a big dinner with anchovy. 
• Sagra Della Lepre: is held in many provinces in Italy more than once, people cook potted hare, roasted hare, and pappardelle with hare sauce and for people who don’t like it, there are roast pork and grilled steaks.

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