Italy in October - The most beautiful food festivals

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October in Italy is for connoisseurs. The weather is still mild, the masses of tourists have already left. From north to south, the time of festivals begins after the hot summer. Watch out: it's going to be delicious!

Italy at its most delicious. In October, Bel Paese celebrates pleasure - the traditional specialities, the regional products and the local drops. Italy returns from summer and shows its appetising side. Here is a selection of particularly beautiful festivals and celebrations in October. Forewarned: there are hundreds more.

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The White Truffle Festival in Alba, Piedmont

• 8 October to 4 December 2022: "Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo" in Alba, Provincia di Cuneo, Piedmont

Welcome to Truffle Paradise. In Alba in Piedmont, the months of October and November are dedicated to the white truffle. The final stage of enjoyment, the edible gold from the north of Italy.

Normally, Alba is a quiet town of 30,000 inhabitants, but for the international white truffle fair, the "Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo", in October, the gourmets of the world, celebrity chefs, gastronomy and more arrive. In addition to the hustle and bustle at the fair, there is a daily programme around the theme of truffles: concerts, cooking classes, public shows, exhibitions, wine tastings and tastings of truffles in all varieties, games and activities for children, guided tours, and, and, and.

Highlights include the donkey race, the "Paglio degli Asini" around San Lorenzo Cathedral, which takes place every first Sunday in October. The nine municipalities of the city compete for a flag in the historic old town, 400 participate. There are also parades and performances in the old town. (Programme, see travel tips)

In the video: The donkey race in Alba

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"Volterra Gusto" in Tuscany

• 22 & 23 October, 28 October to 1 November: "Volterra Gusto" in Volterra, Tuscany

Food is culture. That's what it's all about at "Volterra Gusto", the truffle and food festival in Tuscany. The centrepiece is the market for truffles and other delicacies from the region, such as cheese, wine, jams and more.

The highlight of the Food Festival is the "Paleo dei Caci", the cheese race between the districts. In historical costumes, under the conditions of yesteryear, the runners drive cheese loaves with a wooden stick in front of them and around the straw bale obstacles. The local sheep's cheese cacio has been one of the region's most popular foods since the early Middle Ages. The winner of the race gets to take home his cacio.

In the video: The Volterra Cheese Race

The Chocolate Festival in Perugia, Umbria

• 17 to 26 October: "Eurochocolate" Festival, Perugia, Umbria

Let's turn our attention to chocolate culture! For ten days, everything revolves around chocolate in the ancient city of Perugia in Umbria, parallel to the international chocolate fair taking place. One of the most important events of its kind, attended by around a million people every year.

Chocolate street art in the old town, with 50 art students participating, chocolate bike tours through the surrounding area, chocolate workshops, free cooking shows, street theatre, music and, and, and. If you want to enjoy the highest art of chocolate, watch the final competition of the master chefs.

In the video: on the road at the chocolate festival

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>>> back to the overview

The Grape Festival on Lake Garda

• 29 September to 3 October: "Festa dell'Uva e del Vino" in Bardolino, Provincia di Verona, Veneto

A little champagne on Lake Garda! More than 150,000 guests visit the "Festa dell'Uva e del Vino" in the village of Bardolino on Lake Garda every year. The two important wine varieties of the region, Bardolino Classico and Bardolino Chiaretto, are celebrated at the "Festival of Grapes and Wine".

The festival takes place along the lake promenade of the town of 7,000 inhabitants, between Punta Mirabello and Punta Cornicello. Whether wines or regional delicacies such as risotto, grilled meat with polenta or fish: here you can taste directly from the producers. The centre of the "Genussmeile" is the "Parco Carrara Bottagiosio", where there is live music as well as wine tasting and other gourmet stands.

More than 100 companies are taking part in the "Festa", including 23 wineries in the region alone, as well as 30 local restaurants and artisan businesses. P.S. The highlight is the fireworks on 2 October.

• "Festa dell'Uva e del Vino in Cantino: Parallel to Wine in the Old Town, eight renowned wineries invite you to an open day on 1 and 2 October. On the programme: vineyard walks, music concerts, aperitifs and, of course, wine tastings. The wineries Monte Zovo, Gorgo, Aldo Adami, Casetto, Costadoro, Cottini Marco, Guerrieri Rizzardi and the Marchesini family will be there.

In the video: The wine festival on Lake Garda

Here lies the famous wine village of Bordalino

>>> back to the overview

The Apple Festival in Lombardy

• 7 to 9 October: "Sagra della Mela e dell'Uva" in Villa di Tirano, Provincia di Sondrio, Lombardy

The annual highlight in the small village of Villa di Tirano in Lombardy: the Festival of the Apple and the Grape. For three days there is a gourmet mile in the village with regional delicacies based on the two types of fruit, as well as a lot of entertainment and excursions into the "Valtellina" region, from a spectacular mountain bike tour with helicopter approach to traditional handicrafts and a laser show on Saturday evening.

P.S. By the way, for 21 years Villa di Tirano celebrated only the apple, but since 1997 they have also honoured the grape. About 3000 people live in the small village in the mountains.

>>> For your planning: Here is the PDF of the organiser

This is how the apple festival in the mountains works

Travel tips: Italy in October

• Arrival by bus or train

• Good flight connections

• Programme around Villa di Tirano:
  • The apple festival online
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Porcini mushroom festival in Emilia-Romagna

• 30 September to 2 October: "Fiera di Albareto", Albareto, Provincia di Parma, Emilia-Romagna

This is how autumn is celebrated in Albareto: In this village of 2000 people, porcini mushrooms in all their varieties do the honours. The "Fiera di Albareto" has been around since 1996, founded to promote local products and the area. And it tastes good!

The Porcini Mushroom Festival offers food around the porcini mushroom in all variations, cooking courses by top chefs, wine tastings, mythology courses around the topic of mushrooms, magic shows, children's programme and more. Since 2002, the fair has been linked to the internationally renowned truffle fair in Alba. Besides porcini mushrooms, the traditional products of the area are presented and sold, wine, cheese and cold cuts.

>>> For your planning: Here is the Programme as PDF

In the video: The Porcini Mushroom Festival in Albareto

Travel tips: Italy. in October

• Arrival by bus or train

• Good flight connections

• Programme around Albareto:
  • The website of the organiser
  • Boat tour on the Cinque Terre coast
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>>> back to the overview

Gnocchi Festival in Sorrento, Amalfi Coast

• 3 to 7 October 2022: "Sorrento Gnocchi Day" in Sorrento in Campania

The Amalfi Coast is so spectacularly beautiful that you could almost forget about the food. But like everywhere else in Italy, the mangiare here either, on the contrary.

In summer, the coastal town of Sorrento is a stopover for the international chic, and in October it is a gourmet meeting place for all gnocchi fans. Celebrated are the "Gnocchi alla Sorrentina"In traditional or modern interpretations, as well as all other imaginable gnocchi creations.

In addition to the venues in Sorrento, the following will participate at the gnocchi celebrations also restaurants from the rest of Italy and even from abroad, a total of 64 establishments. On the last day, the creations of the chefs are presented on the "Terrazza delle Sirene" of the "Circolo dei Forestieri". Around the Gnocchi Festival, by the way, you can also learn from the masters and take a course, gnocchi in all degrees of difficulty.

In the video: What gnocchi day is like in Sorrento

Travel tips: Italy. in October

• Arrival by bus or train

• Good flight connections

• Programme around Sorrento:
  • to the Facebook page of the organiser
  • Boat tour to Capri, also with grotto
  • Cooking course: Pasta and tiramisu, guaranteed delicious

The "Ottobrata" in Zafferana Etnea, Sicily

Every Sunday in October there is the "Ottobrata", the autumn festival in the small Etna village of Zafferana Etnea. Zafferana is known as the "town of honey". But around the town of 10,000 people, chestnuts, mushrooms, apples and other seasonal delicacies are also harvested in autumn. These become the focus of the big festival, which is one of the most important in Sicily.

The Via Roma in the town then becomes a promenade, presenting not only the famous honey in all its variations, but also other typical products of the region. Many stalls offer delicacies from Sicily, from sweet to salty, in liquid and solid form. In the evening, the local sports field becomes a concert stage, a mixture of rock, pop and jazz. The organiser announces the band programme online (link at travel tips).

In the video: the "Ottobrata" in Sicily

Travel tips: Italy. in October

• Arrival by bus or train

• Good flight connections

• Programme around Zafferana:
  • to Online presence of "Ottobrata
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written by Pietro Perroni, first published on 27 October 2022

Source: own research

Cover/Collage - Giorgio Perottino/Getty Images