Top Sagre in Umbria

Umbria is known as ‘the green heart of Italy’ and the land of truffle and olive oil. In this neck of the woods the earthy food belies a level of sophistication rooted in centuries of culinary tradition.

Lush-tree-covered hills, towns frozen in time and good food seem to follow you everywhere in Umbria. Get to a town like Norcia and you can experience it first-hand. The place rises atop a hill patterned with fields and dotted with olive mills. History whispers its countless stories from every street and building like the marble-white twelfth century monastery guarding Nocia’s main piazza. Nature granted this land the two most sought after products in the region - the superb black truffle and the prosciutto of Norcia - a dry cured ham as delicious as its better known rival, the prosciutto of Parma.

Same thing with Perugia. The lively and vibrant capital of Umbria first greets you with its helter-skelter alleys, arched stairways and mansion-framed piazzas. Then it provides you with an incredible lineup of food events you wouldn’t want to miss — including the best self-indulgent chocolate festival you’ll ever come across in Italy. (see below)

So there you have it. All year round, Umbria knocks out a very busy food festival season that sees its peaks in June and October.

Sagre in June

Let’s go back to Perugia. This city’s line-up of events is staggering. But the festival that has the stamp of “cool” printed all over it is Piacere Barbecue. It is held in mid-June and for two weeks it gives you a field filled with dozens of grills, roasters and barbecues on which you get to barbecue your own food. Before that you also have the chance to take a class to learn how to do it properly.

In mid June San Liberato, a tiny district of Narni, hosts a central-Italy-staple event: the Sagra della porchetta. I likely don’t need to remind you that porchetta is a roasted suckling pig that has been boned and seasoned; typically served as a filling in sandwiches.

If you like to have your Umbrian delicacies immersed in jousting, horse races and parades in Reinassence costumes then scoot over to the Giostra della Quintana in Foligno held in mid-June.

If you are looking for a footloose type of sagra, then don’t look farther than Settimana Sanmarianese in San Mariano di Corciano. This is a sweet hill-perched town, a few minutes drive south of Perugia. At the beginning of June, San Mariano turns on the music and puts on a hopping, dancing night show for 9 days in a row. Of course in between your dance sessions you get plenty of opportunities to have finger-licking good food.

The Wine Show of Todi is a type of event that can make you heady. It summons 120 wine cooperatives and 700 wine brands from all over Italy. So before you get there, loosen up your hand and get ready to swill a lot of wine glasses. Starting in mid June.

Sagre in October and November

La Fiera del Fungo di Borgotaro, takes place in Anima Borgo Val di Taro. This food festival focuses on the Borgotaro mushroom, a variety of mushroom that only grows in the wild. Expect to eat this mushroom in a myriad of local recipes. The fair runs over two weekends in September.

Corciano, Castello di vino, October 5, 6 and 7. 
This festival draws in all the wine cooperatives in the Corciano area. Expect live music shows, wine tasting and rivers of wine. Corciano is a small town built around a charming medieval castle 12 km west of Perugia. 




Giano dell’Umbria - La Mangiaunta

The town of Giano dell’Umbria isn’t much more than a flock of houses embracing a one-thousand-year-old church but it is home to La Mangiaunta, a magnificent olive oil festival held in November. Lifted by a hill above a valley with thousand-year old olive trees, Giano dell’Umbria epitomizes the philosophy of rural living in Umbria. Its festival Mangiagunta celebrates the end of the olive harvest. The program includes guided visits to olive oil mills, cooking classes and live music. You’ll be pleased to know that a huge brazier and a stone oven is usually placed in Giano’s main square where olive-oil-sprinkled bruschette and traditional local food are made.

Montone, Festa del Bosco (The Feast of the Wood)

Every year the medieval town of Montone opens up the treasure chest of food festivals that is November. It gathers a host of mushrooms, chestnuts and truffles only to serve them up in a cozy food festival. They call it Festa del Bosco a festival that the gracious Montone makes it all the more worth going to.

Perugia, Eurochocolate, October 18 - 27

To understand the scope of this fair, consider this: Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory doesn’t hold a candle to this fantastic chocolate-lovers’ wonderland. What is even better is that Eurochocolate offers you a wide array of free entry events - from masterclasses unveiling the secrets of chocolate making, chocolate-tasting stands, to cooking shows to try your hand at making chocolate candy and cakes.

Trevi - Sagra Del Sedano Nero E Dalla Salsicca - December 19, 20 is all about a special type of celery - black celery - grown only on the outskirts of Trevi. Four taverne (dining areas) are set up each each evening offering dishes created with black celery. You can dip celery in beautiful Umbrian olive oil or try roasted chestnuts, sausage sandwiches, and a bounty of bruschette combined with the best wines of Umbria