Where there’s good food, you’ll find festivals. Imagine then in Sabina, where the bond with the earth is still solid, and as a result what the earth has to offer is celebrated. When, of course, the land itself decides.
The Leonessa Potato Festival, in October
This is what is clearly evident in the Leonessa Potato Festival, which takes place during the period of harvesting, as indicated by the regulations established by the Municipal Denomination mark of which the Leonessa tuber boasts, and therefore it is organized yearly in October.
The motto of the event, “Fritta, lessa, rescallata. Un piattu co’ li fiocchi: lu tartufu co’ li gnocchi” (Fried, boiled, rescallata. A dish will all the trimmings: truffles and gnocchi), reveals some of the dishes that can be tasted, ranging from French fries, the joy of children, adults and the elderly, to gnocchi sprinkled with local truffles to the ‘rescallata’, the divine potato sauté with Sabina DOP EVO olive oil, onion, and bacon strips.
About an hour and a half away from Cicignano, on a path that seems to follow the border between Umbria and Lazio, a paradise for food lovers: let’s not forget that potatoes are also the basic ingredient for delicious donuts.
An event not to be missed, a break from the relaxation of the countryside and the village of Cicignano, for an appointment awaited throughout Central Italy.
The Steak Festival in Collevecchio, in the month of August
However, it isn’t just the land and what it has to offer that are the protagonists of the Sabine festivals. In the capital of our small territory, the town of Collevecchio which rises in front of Cicignano, it is the steak that is at the center of the homonymous festival. Only local meats for this appointment!
Here, in addition to the raw material, the man’s expertise in breeding is fundamental; skills handed down from father to son in the treatment of livestock first and meat afterwards. And therefore the various cuts of appetizing meat, which take advantage of the skill of the Collevecchio housewives, are prepared and served on the spot for a delicious, protein-rich dinner in the village.
The appointment is for the end of August, when the air begins to cool down a bit, but summer still offers clear skies and the joy of conviviality.
At the Carnevalone Liberato in Poggio Mirteto long faces disappear
Although every self-respecting festival, everywhere, but in Sabina in particular, cannot ignore a set table, let’s change perspective for a moment, and launch ourselves into a feast which, refreshes one’s mood, rather than just the appetite.
The Carnevalone Liberato of Poggio Mirteto, just thirty minutes by car from the Residenze Del Borgo di Cicignano, dates as far back as 1861, when the people of Poggio rose up against the papal authorities to favor the annexation to the Kingdom of Italy.
And in fact the anticlerical and irreverent character still characterizes the event that takes place every first Sunday of Lent. The mockery affects politicians, the Church, society, no one can be said to be spared in the goliardic atmosphere that characterizes one of the two carnivals that take place in Poggio Mirteto: the other is the Poggiano Carnival, which follows the traditional calendar and which, so as not to miss out on anything, is accompanied by the Bruschetta Festival. Toasted and slightly crunchy bread, dripping with Sabina olive oil.
A feast of faith: Mount Soratte lights up with the Feast of the Madonna di Maggio in Sant’oreste,
After having fun, we suggest a religious festival, to allow you to ponder on the spirit. Processions, patronal feasts and religious events are really not lacking, but in our overview, which cannot really be entirely exhaustive, there is one in particular that we highly recommend.
Its solemnity and the scenography it offers make it truly unique. Here too, it is just over half an hour drive from our base to go to Sant’Oreste, in the province of Rome, where the Festa della Madonna di maggio literally lights up Monte Soratte.
We are not talking about a metaphorical light, of faith, and ideal, but of torches, made by lighting up a thousand or more bundles of straw, around an iron cross, on a high mountain spur. The procession in honor of the Madonna began during the Napoleonic era. Watching in awe the mountain light up, while all around the fireworks are crackling, in the dark of the night. This too is Sabina.
