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What is an Italian Sagra: Food festivals in La Spezia

22 Jul , 2016  

During summer, in Italy many Sagre are organized: what is an Italian Sagra and why is it so popular?

In all Italy, summer is the time for sagras: typically in the countryside and sea villages, sagras are the most loved way to have a dining evening out.

A Sagra is  a local food festival, during which typical specialties of a territory are prepared and served by locals. Here you can find some facts on this traditional events taking place all over Italy and in Cinque Terre and La Spezia area too.

  • Typically, the population of a small village appoints itself as the best grower of a raw ingredient or best interpreter of its cooking, and then organizes a sagra to let others try their very best product
  • Everyone in the village is involved in the preparation of the local Sagra, often during all year.  Some prepare the stands, the kitchen and the dining tables, some organize the cooking process, others work at the setting.
  • Along with the typical local food, sagras are a way to celebrate one place and its history: a scenic setting, costumes and theme performances often take place during a sagra to tell the village’s story. They are widely spread in Italy because local pride is deeply rooted due to its long regional history .
  • Especially in the latest years, sagras have become a way to fund  a small town’s development or help a specific arisen territory’s emergency. For example, the funds collected serving food in some villages of the Val Di Vara helped to rebuild ancient villages hardly hit by recent floods in the area.

Having great Italian food prepared by locals and served in the streets? Sounds great, but how do I get to know sagre and how do they work?

Sagras are very popular among local people first. Often they are not so advertised because small villages get crowded very quickly and it is not easy to handle a large flow of people coming to the village for the artisanal event management.
The best way to get to know about sagras in La Spezia and Cinque Terre area is to check out our Calendario Eventi, and this page, where we list the best upcoming sagras events. Also some placards are often posted on the city’s walls, and Facebook is a good media too.

Usually, at a sagra you don’t get served like in a restaurant, and plates and glasses are plastic, the ways are very easy, but food is very tasty, cheap and made with love!
When you get to a sagra you will need to stand in a queue to get the tickets for food at a counter stand. Then, you usually sit a table in a wood or in a beautiful square shared with others and someone will come and collect your order.

july, 2016

27jul - 31All DaySagra dello Sgabeo (Sarzana)

29jul - 31All DaySagra del MuscoloMussles Festival

29jul - 31jul 295:00 pmjul 31Festa scozzese (Stadomelli)

29jul - 31jul 296:00 pmjul 31Sagra della focaccetta (Soliera)

29jul - 31jul 297:00 pmjul 31Festa Paesana del Groppo (Barbarasco)

29jul - 31jul 297:00 pmjul 31Festa della Birra (Brugnato)

29jul - 31jul 297:00 pmjul 3131° Sagra del Raviolo (Baccano, Arcola)

30jul - 31jul 303:00 pmjul 31Serò di vino in vino

30jul - 31jul 307:00 pmjul 31FESTA ANNUALE CROCE BIANCA BEVERINO

30jul - 31jul 307:00 pmjul 31Sagra della Torta (Bastremoli)

30jul7:00 pm- 11:59 pmSAGRA DELL'ASADO CORNIGLIAAsado Festival

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