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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On Vacation in Italy

UPDATED  JULY 9, 2016

Everyone knows that  Italian beaches  are very popular, in fact the most read article   on my blog  is  about them.

But not all Italians spend their vacations  browning on  the beach  and not all of Italy closes down in August. Most of the people you will find walking around in Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan in these days are  probably  tourists, for residents try to escape the heat by getting out of the city. For this reason  the small towns  fill up. Here the homes stay cool  for thanks to the metre-thick stone walls we have natural  air conditioning ! 

Here are just a few of the alternative vacations you can enjoy in Italy, without going to the beach.
  

Here is  20 year old  Russian violinist Sarkis  who spent some of his summer taking a Master Class in Cremona, the violin capital of the world. 

Music-the Tuscia Opera Festival and Baroque music festival are very popular in Viterbo. 
House concerts  take place in Vetralla,  in the magical  gardens of Palazzo Piatti, thanks to Opera Extravaganza. 

cooking risotto at Opera Extravaganza concert July 8, 2016
Paola, Ruud, Paolo and hostess Susanna Ohtonen of Opera Extravaganza 

Anna Carbonera, Ugo Tarquini and Alessandro Manetti  perform "Gran Risotto del Belcanto " 

concert program for July  2016

Here is  20 year old  Russian violinist Sarkis  who spent some of his summer taking a Master Class in Cremona, the violin capital of the world. 

Irina, Lavinia, Nelly and Catalin enjoying the concert 

Art – many artists from all over the world  come to Etruria and there are summer programs in Viterbo and Civita Castellana that draw  painters from around the world  to  enjoy the magical light  found only in Italy.  

You might want to join  a group of artists like this summer painting group next year .

  Catalin, a Moldavian painter who works in Munich, came  back to Italy for a short  holiday.

prize winning painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti 

Sagre and Festivals  - most local towns celebrate local  food  with communal dinners eaten in the main piazzas and film festivals brightened up the nights in  Montefiascone  and  Viterbo.

 Theme Parks –kids love the  amusement parks that dot Italy: the best are  Mirabilandia and Italia in Miniatura, both in Romagna, near Rimini

Italia in Miniatura 

photos from the Mirabilandia website 

Massimo enjoyed the scary rides and shows like this one  at Mirabilandia 

Travel- many families take  the kids to see another part of Italy,  or maybe a different country, like San Marino.

Bianca and Mauro visited the castle in Senigallia with their parents

Relax with family and friends- long days and warm nights are perfect for getting together, catching up  with old friends, and making some new ones. 

checking out the olive grove 

making new friends  is easy in summer;   Florette, Irina, Nelly, Lavinia 

For ways to stay cool in summer in Italy just use the search box at the top and type in  "cool places ".

How are you spending  your mid summer  vacation ? Leave a comment in the  box below and share  with friends using the Facebook and Twitter icons.  Whatever  you are doing, have a wonderful  mid-summer holiday !

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.