As always, I stopped by the Associazione Nazionale Città del Vino's booth at Vinitaly and picked up their booklet of winefests and events. This year it lists a website, http://www.cittadelvino.com, which is very nicely done but only in Italian for now; if you want to check the winefests listings click on Le Feste in Piazza (upper left), and fill out the form with the dates and the region that interest you.

What struck my eye in the booklet? Here we go:

May

11-12, 18-19, 25-6 Castello di Serravalle (Bologna, Emilia Romagna): Maggiociondolo, a festival in the Medieval hart of town

11-12 Corno di Rosazzo (Udine, Friuli Venezia Giulia): Fiera dei Vini dei Colli Orientali, a festival dedicated to some of the region's great wines.

11-12 Florence: Artigianato e Palazzo, a handcrafts trade fair held in the gardens of Palazzo Corsini (Via Della Scala 115)

11 Poggioreale (Trapani, Sicily): A cheese show with a ricotta festival.

24-Jun 2 Siena (Tuscany): 36th annual week of wines

24-Jun 2 Vignola (Modena, Emilia Romagna): The cherry week (Vignola cherries are among the most prized in Italy).

26 Cantine Aperte, wineries all over Italy will open their doors to the public

26 Montegrosso d'Asti (Piemonte): Barbera Festival

26-Jun 2 Montespertoli (Florence, Tuscany): Chianti Show

26 Nizza Monferrato (Asti, Piemonte): Barrel race and dinner

26 Portacomaro d'Asti (Asti, Piemonte): A Grignolino festival (Grignolino is a light, tart red wine)

Other things

Bardolino (Verona, Veneto): The Chiaretto Bardolino Classico festival on the waterfront of Lake Garda.

Castelvetro (Modena): A Lambrusco festival

Gattinara (Vercelli, Piemonte): A month dedicated to northern Piemontese Nebbioli

Pontassieve (Florence, Tuscany): Toscanello d'Oro, a wine festival

June

3-9 Lanuvio (Rome): Music festival

3 Noto (Syracuse, Sicily): Handcrafts, traditional foods and antiques

6-14 Cerreto Guidi (Florence, Tuscany): The Goose festival

9-15 Montefalco (Perugia, Umbria): 23rd annual wine week

15-17 Santa Maria della Versa (Pavia, Lombardia): A local foodstuffs festival

30 Cisterna d'Asti (Asti, Piemonte): A festival dedicated to Bonarda wine and local foodstuffs

Other things

Castelpiano (Ancona, Marches): Baloon show and cheese fest

Genzano (Rome): Strawberry festival

Pelago (Florence): Wild boar festival

July

2 Siena's Palio

6-14 Cerreto Guidi (Florene, Tuscany): Chianti Festival (and a fishfest from the 7th to the 9th)

7 Dolcè (Brentino Belluno, Veneto): The wines of the Valdadige

13-14 Piombino (Livorno, Tuscany): Historical reenactment with Medieval banquets

14 Golferenzo (Pavia, Lombardia): Vinum bonum vinum, wine culture and history in the middle ages

16 Noto (Syracuse, Sicily): A tuna festival

21-22 Galatina (Lecce, Puglia): A watermelon festival

25-Aug 2 Controguerra (Teramo, Abruzzo): A food and wine festival

28 Piombino (Livorno, Tuscany): A fish festival

Other things

San Mango sul Calore (Avellino, Campania): The fig fest

Spoleto (Perugia, Umbria): Bruschetta with truffles

August

1-6 Annone Veneto (Venice, Veneto): The wines of Loncon

3-4 Castiglione D'Orcia (Siena, Tuscany): The crostino festival

3-15 Gualdo Cattaneo (Pomonte -- Perugia, Umbria): Reenactment of charcoal making and other traditions

4 Verucchio (Forlì-Cesena, Emilia Romagna): Sangiovese vest

4 Monti (Sassari, Sardegna): 10th annual Vermentino Festival

4 and 11 Ponte di Piave, Località Negrisia (Treviso, Vento): Wine fest and country fair

10 Calici di Stelle nelle Città del Vino: Cities participating in the Città del Vino will put on a variety of events

11-15 Celle Enomondo (Asti, Piemonte): 28th annual Barbera festival

12 Campiglia Marittima (Livorno, Tuscany): A Medieval dinner.

12-19 Castel San Lorenzo (Salerno, Campania): A festival dedicated to seven DOC wines

14-15 Cortona (Arezzo, Tuscany) A steak festival featuring Chianina beef

14-26 Torgiano (Perugia, Umbria): Agosto Torgianese, wines

15-17 Marano di Valpolicella (Verona, Veneto) Fair for San Rocco

16 Siena (Tuscany) The Palio

16 Cortona (Arezzo, Tuscany) The Porcino Festival

17 Annone Veneto (Venice, Veneto) The Harvest festival

20 Provaglio d'Iseo (Brescia, Lombardia): Corsa dei Caratì -- not sure what this is, but sounds like some sort of barrel race, and the area is pretty

25-Sep 1 Puegnago del Garda (Prescia, Lombardia): A wine and agriculture show for the Valtenasi area and Lake Garda

31-Sep 1 Monti San Pietro (Bologna, Emilia Romagna): The Colli Bolognesi winefest

Other things

Paternopoli (Avellino, Campania): The Aglianico festival and the vegetable festival

Spoleto (Perugia, Umbria): The summer truffle festival

Taurasi (Avellino, Campania) The wine fest and an Aglianico festival

September

1 Novi Ligure (Alessandria, Piemonte): A Gavi festival

1 San Colombano al Lambro (Milano, Lombardia): Artisans in the town square

1 San Vincenzo (Livorno, Tuscany): Sagitta Turris, a reenactment of a historic naval battle

2 Carpi (Modena, Emilia Romagna) The Lambrusco and Lasagna festival

2 Verduno (Cuneo, Piemonte) The Verduno Pelaverga festival

13-15 Casale Monferrato (Alessandria, Piemonte): The wine and town festival

27-29 Erbusco (Brescia, Milano): The Franciacorta Festival. Great bubbly!

Other things

Asti: The Douja D'Or, one of the major Italian wine fests.

Greve in Chianti: A Chianti fest

Panzano in Chianti: Another Chianti Fest

Impruneta (Florence): La festa della raccolta, a harvest parade with floats.

October

13 Montespertoli (Florence, Tuscany): The 5th annual vinsanto show

A host of chestnut festivals, and the beginnings of truffle festivals, which will carry though November.

November

9-17 Imola (Bologna, Emilia Romagna) Il Baccanale, a major Sangiovese show

After November 6: Many Novello festivals across the peninsula

Beginning in Mid November: Many Olive oil Festivals

There are more festivals, but these will get you going.

A presto,
Kyle Phillips
Webweaver, About Italian Cuisine

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