20 Must-See Festivals Across Italy You Should Plan Around in 2026

Italy is a country full of life, tourism and beauty all year round, which finds out every time the essence and authenticity of its territories thanks to country festivals. Whether it is autumn, spring, summer or winter, you will always find something nice to do and discover, so immerse yourself with us in this experience looking for the most beautiful and famous festivals in Italy to get to know and visit all year round region by region.

Festivals are considered popular country celebrations often related to small villages or mountain towns, sometimes even entire cities. Some festivals are considered real holidays that can involve a large part of a territory because they originate from popular, religious or patronal traditions, often celebrating the harvest, a saint or promoting a local food and wine speciality: this is why there are many festivals in Italy, especially between summer and autumn.

The sagra (or festival) is a typically Italian event that creates community and a sense of belonging, indeed besides being a celebration for the local inhabitants, it also attracts many tourists from both Italy and abroad.

Visit Italy has selected the most representative food festivals in Italy, combining flavor and tradition in an itinerary that spans every region. From the Carmagnola pepper in Piedmont to the Bronte pistachio in Sicily, passing through the porchetta of Savigno and the truffle of San Miniato: which will be crowned the most famous Italian sagra? Join us on this journey and find out!

- Forest Fruit Festival in Papiano (Umbria) July 3-12, 2026

- Varola Festival in Melfi (Basilicata) October 17-19, 2026

- Meatball Festival in Avetrana (Apulia) August 13, 2026

- Cheese Fair in Agnone (Molise) August 28-30, 2026

- Red Garlic Festival in Sulmona (Abruzzo) July 10-11, 2026

- Festival of Jujubes in Arquà Petrarca (Veneto) October 3-4 and 10-11, 2026

- Canederli Festival in Vipiteno (Trentino-Alto Adige) September 13, 2026

- Truffle Fair in Alba (Piedmont) October 10 - December 6, 2026

- Polenta Taragna Festival in Spirano (Lombardy) October 24 - November 9, 2026

- Golden Onion Festival in Banari (Sardinia) July 18-19, 2026

- Brodetto Fest in Fano (Marche) May 30 - June 2, 2026

- Fish Festival in Camogli (Liguria) May 9-10, 2026

- Chestnut Festival in Montella (Campania) October 30-31 - November 1, 6-7-8, 2026

- Piadina Festival in Bellaria (Emilia-Romagna) September 11-13, 2026

- Mushroom Dumpling Festival in Uliveto Terme (Tuscany) July 17-18-19, 24-25-26, 2026

- Polentone Festival in Castel di Tora (Lazio) February 22, 2026

- Chili Pepper Festival in Diamante (Calabria) September 9-13, 2026

- Pumpkin Festival in Venzone (Friuli Venezia Giulia) October 25-26, 2026

- Saint Rosalia Feast in Palermo (Sicily) July 10-15, 2026

- Marché au Fort in Bard (Aosta Valley) October 10-11, 2026

Every early July (July 3-12, 2026), the charming village of Papiano, near Marsciano (Perugia), hosts the famous Forest Fruit and Typical Umbrian Products Festival. This food and wine event celebrates blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and currants, transformed into delicious artisan desserts and traditional savory recipes.

With stands, local products, and live music, the festival offers an authentic immersion in Umbrian flavors and traditions. This food and wine event, now an unmissable summer event in Umbria, celebrates the freshness and goodness of wild berries in one of Europe's most forested regions.

Irresistible aromas and bucolic landscapes offer visitors a unique sensory and culinary journey: prepare to savor handmade cakes and tarts with blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, as well as surprising savory pairings from local food traditions.

On the penultimate weekend of October (October 17-19, 2026), is held every year in the city of Melfi, Basilicata, the Sagra della Varola or Varola Festival, more commonly known as the Chestnut Festival. After more than sixty editions, now this historic event in Basilicata always sees the active participation of more than 30,000 people.

The festival is held in the well-known Piazza Umberto I and along the streets of the city centre with lots of mountain hut-style stalls and lots of food using the staple food: the chestnut, which can be tasted in all its forms.

The event is free of charge but you can try all you want and buy many typical products such as the Varolata, or chestnuts together with the container in which they are roasted.

Since we are in autumn, the weather is starting to cool down, the leaves are falling from the trees and you are in the mood for seasonal dishes, we recommend you take a look at the autumn festivals not to be missed in Italy.

In the Apulian town of Avetrana, in the province of Taranto, every year on August 13 takes place the Sagra delle Polpette di Avetrana (Avetrana Meatball Festival), actually with more than twenty editions behind and absolutely one of the unmissable events of summer in Taranto.

The festival starts in the evening and continues until late into the night. It's a major event among festivals in Italy because you can taste meatballs of all types, from fried meatballs to meatballs with sauce, all accompanied by music, events and shows.

Molise, in the centre of Italy, is one of the least polluted and uncontaminated areas of the peninsula, a place rich in traditions and values. In last summer (August 28-30, 2026), 'Casearia' the national cheese fair is held in Agnone, in the province of Isernia, one of the new festivals in Italy for all cheese lovers.

Casearia is a fair that aims to enhance the Italian milk and dairy products supply chain. The initiative also aims to bridge the gap between north and south, offering products, culture, tourism and environmental sustainability. Companies have the opportunity to offer their products and participants can enjoy whole days among the various stands and taste all kinds of cheeses, from spreads to mature cheeses and creams. Paradise for cheese lovers!

For the people of Abruzzo, this is one of the summer's ritual events (July 10-11, 2026). We are talking about the Sagra dell'Aglio Rosso di Sulmona (Red Garlic Festival in Sulmona), a typical Abruzzo speciality. Whether you are a citizen of Abruzzo or a tourist, you cannot miss one of the most typical local festivals in central Italy, precisely because red garlic is a typical speciality of the town of Sulmona, also known for its sugared almonds.

The event, one of the best-known festivals in Italy, is held on the second weekend of July and aims to promote and safeguard red garlic, a local product used extensively in cooking because it gives unique flavours. Over the years, it has become increasingly important, attracting people from all over to enjoy it and taste typical red garlic specialities.

With more then forty editions behind, the Sagra delle Giuggiole (Festival of Jujubes) in Arquà Petrarca on the Euganean Hills is one of the most popular festivals among locals. Held every year in Autumn, usually within the first half of October (October 3-4 and 10-11, 2026), amidst the medieval atmosphere of the town, which is also known for being the city where the poet Francesco Petrarca lived, and is also one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.

What are jujubes? They are a fruit that grows in the Euganean Hills and is very rare in Italy because it is said to have been imported by the ancient Romans and to have originated in Syria. They are very sweet and can be eaten instantly so just picked from the tree or they can be cooked and there are so many recipes for their use.

They have remarkable beneficial properties and this is also the reason for the saying 'to be in a jujube broth' or to feel satisfaction, contentment and a sense of well-being. The Jujube Festival is one of the festivals in Italy that really gives satisfaction because you experience something new that you rarely find.

Canederli are one of the most popular traditional Tyrolean dishes. The city of Vipiteno hosts the Sagra dei Canederli (Dumpling Festival) in September (September 13, 2026). It is one of the most eagerly awaited festivals in Italy and is the result of the good Tyrolean summer

The Canederli are the stars of the show and can be tasted in any form: with speck, thin, refined with liver, mushrooms or even sweet. This mega round dumpling will please everyone.

The International White Truffle Fair in Alba is one of the largest and most popular food and wine events in Italy (October 10 - December 6, 2026). With an over ninety editions history, it is one of the best-loved festivals in Italy, welcoming every year hundreds of thousands of tourists and enthusiasts from all over Italy and of course abroad, all ready to taste the delicious truffle.

For truffle lovers, Alba is the Mecca of taste, because you can taste it in all its forms and variations. There are immersive experiences, sensory analyses to recognise the truffle and taste its quality, and experiences of tasting fine wines.

The Italian town of Spirano in the province of Bergamo (Lombardy) hosts the Sagra della Polenta Taragna, the Italian pride of the Valtellina. It's one of the most popular gourmet festivals in Italy, and is held in Piazzale Mercato - Piazza Caduti sul Lavoro.

It is an event created to amuse and entertain, imagine good music, good food, all accompanied by shows, this is the Polenta Taragna Festival (October 24 - November 9, 2026). Polenta should be enjoyed in company, while drinking a good wine, accompanied by local cheese or sausage, a triumph of flavours. Enjoy!

In July (July 18-19, 2026), the town of Banari hosts the renowned Sagra della Cipolla Dorata (Festival of the Golden Onion), listed among the top 50 events in Northern Sardinia and the most authentic festivals in Italy. Banari is a town in the Meilogu, not far from Sassari.

You can taste typical dishes made of the delicious protagonist onion, drink good wine and walk along the ancient streets of the village. There will be the occasion to buy on for the entire Summer these big, sweet and tasty onions, famous everywhere in Italy.  

The festival takes place in July in Piazza Umberto I, and during the event there are stands of local handicrafts, folk music entertainment and much more.

The event's organizers are APS Pro Loco di Banari and Camera di Commercio di Sassari. It is part of theproject Salude & Trigu, an amazing initiative to promote tourism in the hinterland of Northern Sardinia through culture, traditions, faith and good food, including all the most fascinating events in the area (for example, the captivating Discesa dei Candelieri—Sassari’s traditional celebration of the march of the “candeliers”).

The Brodetto Fest in the Marche region is Fano's unmissable festival celebrating its flagship dish: fish soup, the famous brodetto di Fano, an icon of the bond with the seaside, held every year at the beginning of summer (May 30 - June 2, 2026). A lot of affiliated restaurants are waiting for you to taste this delicacy and have you sample their own version.

In Camogli, one of the most beautiful villages in Liguria, not far from Cinque Terre, celebrates the Fish Festival. A record-record-breaking fried fish pan is the main attraction of the event dedicated to St Fortunato - the patron saint of fishermen - usually celebrated on the second Sunday in May (May 9-10, 2026).

Besides irresistible cargos of fried fish, you can taste the delicious focaccia with cheese too.

The annual Sagra della Castagna di Montella IGP (Montella's chestnut PGI Festival) is one of the most famous wine and food events in Irpinia. Usually, it takes place on the first weekend of November (October 30-31 - November 1, 6-7-8, 2026). With this festival, they want to celebrate the chestnut, delicious fruit of the area.

In 1987, their chestnut received the Denomination of Protect Origin (DOC), and it was the only case of fruit and vegetable product in Italy to be part. Then in 1992, the UE Commission gave Montella's Chestnut the recognition of Indicazione Geografica Protetta (IGP) - Protect Geographic Indication (PGI). Since 1977, they organise this festival to promote Montella's Chestnut, an autumn fruit with excellent nutritional properties.

Piadina Romagnola is the typical flatbread of Emilia-Romagna. The food and wine festival takes place in Bellaria Igea-Marina, in the province of Rimini, usually within the first half of September when it's still possible to get summertime vibes (September 11-13, 2026).

You will find sweet and salad Piadinas, made with traditional or new recipes, filled in more than forty ways. There will be the assignation of the cup for the tastiest Piada. Music and entertainment are also planned in the city centre.

In Uliveto Terme (a hamlet of Vicopisano in the province of Pisa), the Sagra delle Pallette ai Funghi (Festival of Mushroomed Pallets) is held every year in July (July 17-18-19, 24-25-26, 2026). Pallette are very known in Tuscany, but not really outside the region. 

The pallet's recipe consists of a soft corn polenta of a consistency similar to semolina pudding. It is served on a soup plate with a tasty mushroom or meat sauce, otherwise with delicious cheese fondue or vegetable sauce. During the festival, it is possible to taste this dish in different combinations.

We are in the province of Rieti, it is the month of February, and in Castel di Tora (February 22, 2026), on Lake Turano, the Polentone Festival takes place, an event that celebrates the town's most representative dish. It's one of the most ancient festivals in Italy, with a long one hundred years history behind.

The castle's location is in a dominant position. It is one of the most beautiful villages in Lazio. The festival takes root in the far 1920. Here, they dress polenta with herring, tuna, salt cod and anchovy, which enrich the Sugo Magro, prepared by the village's women. 

This local food tradition is so old and rooted that Castel di Tora has become an official Italian Polentari's Cultural Association member.

If you are looking for one of the most successful and most popular festivals in Italy for strong stomachs, well, you have to go south because in September (September 9-13, 2026) there is an appointment not to be missed in Calabria: it is the Peperoncino Festival.

In the chilli pepper capital of the world, Diamante, five days of gastronomy, conferences, exhibitions, shows and cinema and the historic challenge between chilli pepper eaters.

The Venzone festival is one of Italy's most important pumpkin festivals, and is celebrated each year on the fourth weekend of October (October 25-26, 2026) in this small and charming town in the province of Udine.

This link between Venzone and the pumpkin took its origin from a curious story when the city decided to build the church's bell tower. They called a master from Udine. He covered it with brass and put on a wonderful golden ball with a cross. But, when the municipality had to pay him, they offered him one-third of what they had agreed.

The master thanked them but, unsatisfied, during the night swapped the ball with a gold-painted pumpkin. Over time, the pumpkin deteriorated and fell into many pieces. So they discovered the joke.

If you are looking for one of the festivals in Italy where you can eat well, have fun and drink in the company of beautiful people, you have to go down to the far south, to Sicily. One of the most popular events is in Palermo: it is the Festino di Santa Rosalia, patron saint of the Sicilian city. The feast takes place on the night between 14 and 15 July (July 10-15, 2026): the cart of the saint is carried in triumph along the procession to the Foro Italico where fireworks can be admired.

One of the main aspects of this feast is the food and wine. During the celebration, you can taste typical dishes, such as the boiled octopus (in Sicilian "l’u purpu vugghiutu"), Sfincione, a symbol of Palermo street food (a sort of soft bread dressed with a sauce of onion, anchovy, caciocavallo cheese and breadcrumb), and then, snails and frozen watermelon.

Valle d'Aosta is one of Italy's most special regions, because it is located in the far north of the Italian peninsula and offers breathtaking views and landscapes surrounded by nature, ideal for those who want to purify their souls and immerse themselves in beauty.

However, Valle d'Aosta is also famous for another reason, because in the autumn and winter months it offers tourists and locals many events, some of which are food and wine events, to delight the palate. For example Marché au Fort, the largest market-fair of traditional Aosta Valley food and wine products, happening every year in mid-October at the Fort of Bard (October 10-11, 2026), one of the most evocative fortresses of the territory in the ancient medieval village.

There are shows for young and old and tastings to sample local products and specialities: cheeses, cured meats, honeys, baked goods, jams, fruit, beers and quality wines. A true excellence of agrifood in Italy's smallest region, one of the most typical and traditional festivals in Italy. So, it must really be said that you must go there at least once in your life!