Italy's August Food Festivals and Concerts

 

Posters announce local food festivals in August

 

 

 

Sagra  in the piazza, Monte Romano

 

Italy, the land of great food and great music,  really earns this  reputation  during August. For the entire month  small towns and large  put on  food festivals / sagre  where trestle tables  are set up  in the main piazza and everyone enjoys  traditional food under the stars. 

 

The triangle   where   N. Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria   meet  is  one of the best areas  to pass  the month of August ; each town has a rich calendar of sagre  dedicated to local  dishes  and neighboring towns vie with one another to  attract tourists and  locals.

The Sagre are favored by vacationing city dwellers who delight at  the  quality/price ratio. Abundant  and genuine food  is offered at a fraction of what  it would cost to eat out in  a  big city like Rome.

Posters announcing  each town’s  sagra  are visible  on bulletin boards and walls towards the end of June, throughout July and reach the peak  for  the mid August Ferragosto holiday . 

 Check Move magazine for  complete  and up to date listings.

 

When you have had your fill of   grilled sausages and pasta with truffles   then you can enjoy one of the  numerous  concerts  held  in churches and castles  throughout  the  summer.  

At  the magnificent Roman amphitheatres  of  Ferento (Viterbo) and Vulci (near Montalto di Castro ) one can  sit on the original stone steps (cushions are available )  that have been in use for 2,000 years and enjoy  a concert or theatre performance.   

fresco, S.Maria Nuova, Viterbo

 

Ensemble Ottaviano Alberti

Evangelina Mascardi directing 

Concerts and cultural  happenings  are also held in  medieval churches and Renaissance castles which abound in  Northern Lazio.  We recently attended a magnificent concert "L'Idillio amoroso " love songs and music from the 15-16th century  in S. Maria Nuova  Church which  dates  from the year 1008!

 

The  castles of Vignanello, Vasanello and  Proceno  are  just a few privately owned castles where one can enjoy  candle lit concerts throughout the summer . 

The magnificent  Palazzo Farnese in Caprarola is another venue for music and concerts year round.

Use the search bar above to find more articles on these  historic  palazzi and castles. 

hosts at  Castello di Campogiordano

 

After a lengthy restoration the  Castello di Campogiordano  in Vetralla has now joined the list of "castello di musica"    where cultural events are held.

 

pre-theatre aperitivo

readings  by candlelight in the castle courtyard

 

Do you have a favorite sagra  or concert venue in Italy ?  Tell us about it in the comments. Feel free to share with friends by clicking on the  icons below.

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Summer Music Festivals in central Italy

The hills  are alive with the sound of music…the hills of Northern Lazio, that is.

Jazz concert in Vetralla

Throughout  the summer, from  seaside   Tarquinia to  Proceno on the border  with Tuscany, the sounds of music can be heard most  evenings thanks to a myriad of concerts  held in  many different venues. 

Opera Extravaganza's summer theatre, an ancient  grotto,

"When the saints, come marching in....!

You might find  a jazz  quartet playing in a   secret garden  or Baroque strings  in a castle courtyard.

orchestra music at Proceno Castle 

 Many top level musical events take place  inside  candle-lit  churches or outdoors on piazzas surrounded by medieval, Renaissance or Baroque buildings. 

Pianist Manuela Cola at Proceno Castle 

For music lovers visiting central Italy, here is my personal  list of musical happenings in northern Lazio for the next month or so.  It is by no means  complete for most small towns in the Viterbo area  put on free concerts  and local  festivals (called Sagre if food is involved)  around mid-August. 

after concert dinner, Opera Extravaganza 

 Information  can  generally be found posted on  billboards around town, so keep your eyes open as you travel.

Proceno   Convivio in Musica  

audience  around the ancient fountain 

 Other musical events are put on by  private associations  with  “members only”  mailing lists.

 Most of the photos here were taken during the recent  jazz concert followed by dinner which closed  Opera Extravaganza's  season in Vetralla. 

Check out these  websites for  the complete  list of concerts and to buy tickets on line to enjoy  a summer full of  music! 

Nepi-Stagione Borgiana –concerts  in the Borgia Castle 

Bagnoregio- Tuscia in Jazz, summer courses, and the extraordinary Glenn Miller Orchestra on  Monday July  22 

Viterbo Province-Tuscia Opera Festival 

 and Festival Barocco  are the  longest running, most prestigious music festivals in  the area. 

castello  di Proceno 

Proceno-Convivio in Musica-Bach  concert July  24  at the castle of Proceno.

Tarquinia- Notturni tra le vie della musica 

Civita Castellana –Civita Festival  

Do you know other local music festivals  in your area ? 
 Please leave a comment and help to make this a more complete listing. 
  

Keeping up with Happenings in Italy

Members of the   foreign  community  mix with locals 

In the good old days before the revolution in communications caused by internet and computer based publications, there were English language daily newspapers in  Italy dispensing  news, information,classified and listings of events and  happening.

The days of the Daily American and  Daily News  are  gone forever, replaced by dozens  of  Italian and English  online magazines and  newspapers. 

Professional journalists who have kept up with the  new media are competing with newly arrived bloggers for  readership. 

 The result is a plethora of on-line resources  readily available at the click of a mouse. Never before has there  been so much information available  for newly arrived expats, it is definitely easier to learn one's way around the maze of living in Italy. 

 Wanted in Rome  still prints  a paper edition on sale at various points in the city including the Anglo American bookshop on Via della Vite near the Spanish Steps.

 The Florentine  can be found throughout  Florence  in its paper format or on line. Is there an English language magazine published  in your area? 

TimeOut  magazine  has both online and print magazines  in major cities worldwide: besides Rome there is the original for New York plus Istanbul and London.  

The American magazine   has  great lists of events, happenings, and restaurant listings .  It is published by the dean of Rome's English journalists, Christopher Winner. 

For those living in or visiting the Northern Lazio, Viterbo, Tuscia, Etruria areas here are some other tips for keeping up with the local happenings. Drop us a line in the comments box with your  favorites:

·   In towns and villages throughout Italy the walls are plastered with locandine or wall posters announcing festivals, processions, celebrations and musical events which are abundant in the summer months.

·  Get  on  mailing lists  of associations in your  area. For the Olgiata area contact Paola at  Welcome Neighbor.   

·  Interested in archeology conferences and excursions?  Join  the 370 members of Archeotuscia for a rich calendar of outings in the northern Lazio area. See below for  this week's happenings. 

·   Tuscia Web  is just one of the many on line news sources for  Viterbo and environs. Others are Teresa Pierini's La Tua Etruria. 

·  La Loggetta is a bi-monthly  magazine written by local experts with a subscription of  25 euro. It can be  delivered to you  worldwide. www.laloggetta.it

  For musical afternoons and house concerts in the N. Lazio area   check out Opera Extravaganza . 

     Ask to be on their mailing list for updates on concerts.

Massimiliano Darida and Maria Lunella Reedy
delighted the audience at yesterday's concert

part of the international  audience  

·    Some faithful readers  may  remember  the 70+ issues of   Elegant Etruria Newsletter  that I emailed  to hundreds  of addresses  in the mid-1990s, a labor of love which helped to give information to the  burgeoning  international community of Rome's northern suburbs.    Feedback was rare,  but the huge  mailing list  and connections  made,  became a highly prized  (and envied) piece of information.

·   Mailing lists, email invitations…these have now been  surpassed  by the many blogs published  in English in central Italy.  Sign up(scroll to the bottom of the page and leave your email)  to receive  the  weekly edition of  this blog 50yearsinItaly,  one of many in English. Please share the names of your favorites with a comment  at the bottom of the page. 

And in case you havn't heard yet, here are just a few of the interesting happenings taking place this week in the Viterbo area: 

• Friday, 25th Jan. in Viterbo I will be  presenting an illustrated conference for Archeotuscia  entitled  “Foreign Artists and Archeologists in  Etruria” .  To be held at Sala Coronas, 2nd floor, the Prefecture of Viterbo (Piazza dei Priori, near the City Hall) at  5 p.m.  on Friday 25th January. All  are welcome to attend.

Francesco Aliperti & Georgia of Edizioni Archeoares 

  

delegation of Air Force students 



Mario Bracci Devoti, Fabiano  B.  & Chief Inspector Orlandini 

• Photos of Friday Jan. 25th  conference in Viterbo.





• Saturday, 26th Jan. in Vetralla,  Destinatario Sconosciuto at the Museum  of Vetralla. 
• Your comments are welcome. Commenti in italiano  sono benvenuti!