Food festivals between Capo d'Orlando and the Nebrodi
On the coast they celebrate bluefish and granita; up in the mountains, mushrooms, hazelnuts and chestnuts. The real sagre of this area, month by month — and nearly all of them fall once prices have already dropped.
Why sagre matter here
A sagra isn't a fair for tourists: it's a village putting in the square the one thing it does best, cooked by the people who produce it and served at long trestle tables. You eat cheaply and very well, you drink, you dance, and at some point someone produces an accordion. Around here there's one almost every weekend from July to November — and the best part comes once summer is over.
Summer, on the coast
In Capo d'Orlando the season opens with the Sentieri di Mare festival and its show cooking, then the Granita Grand Gala in Piazza Matteotti at the end of July — which is exactly what it sounds like, and worth the trip. Late July also brings Piscittina Fest, beer and street food. In early August Terra di Vini brings wine masterclasses and tastings to the Marina for two evenings. On 9 August the fishing quarter of San Gregorio holds Sapore di Sale, the bluefish festival: anchovies, sardines and mackerel landed that morning — the most local of them all.
September: up into the mountains
At Ucria, half an hour into the Nebrodi, comes the Hazelnut Festival: the local nucidda turned into torrone, marzipan pastries and liqueur. Ucria is also known as the land of mushrooms, and each autumn it holds a festival with a mycological exhibition of some 250 species — a serious display, curated by a mycologists' association, not a market stall. And in Capo d'Orlando, at the end of September, the Beer Festival closes the coastal season.
October: chestnuts, mushrooms, black pork
It's the best month, and almost nobody knows it. At San Salvatore di Fitalia — the same village as San Calogero — the last weekend of October brings the Chestnut Festival: a market of Nebrodi produce (honey, oil, cured meats, cheeses, preserves), folk groups, guided visits to the Mother Church which holds works by Antonello Gagini, and a concert in the square. At Cesarò, further inland, the festival of black pork and porcini mushrooms. West along the coast, at Caronia, Octoberfish with its fish tastings. And on 22 October, in town, our patron saint's feast with hundreds of stalls.
The lemon, when it comes round
The Pro Loco devotes a festival to the Costa Tramontana lemon, Limun'aria: cooking, culture and identity around the fruit that built this town's wealth. Dates change from year to year. The story of the lemon and the other local produce →
Before you set off
Sagre are run by pro loco groups and local associations: dates shift by a weekend easily, and are sometimes decided late. Before driving half an hour into the mountains, ask us on WhatsApp: we know, because we go. One tip: many sagre work on tickets bought at a stand by the entrance, so bring cash.
Frequently asked questions
When is the bluefish festival in Capo d'Orlando?
Sapore di Sale takes place on 9 August in the fishing quarter of San Gregorio, with tastings of freshly landed anchovies, sardines and mackerel.
Which food festivals are held in the Nebrodi in autumn?
The Chestnut Festival at San Salvatore di Fitalia on the last weekend of October, the Hazelnut Festival and the mushroom exhibition-festival at Ucria, the black pork and porcini festival at Cesarò, and Octoberfish at Caronia on the coast.
Do you pay to attend a sagra?
Entry is almost always free; you pay for the tastings, often with tickets bought at a stand near the entrance. Bring cash, as cards aren't accepted everywhere.
Is October a good time to visit the Nebrodi?
It's the best month if you're coming to eat: chestnuts, porcini, hazelnuts and black pork are all in season, the villages hold their festivals, and on the coast the sea is still warm enough to swim.
Related destinations: Capo d'Orlando, Nebrodi Park.
Stay in Capo d'Orlando
A base in the centre — and everything else becomes a day trip.
The port for the Aeolians is 45 minutes away, the Nebrodi right behind. Breakfast served early for dawn departures.
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