Wheat Festival in Raddusa

September, an afternoon at the beginning of the month in the Metropolitan City of Catania: the Sicilian end-of-summer event par excellence, the Wheat Festival in Raddusa, is about to end. Between music, songs and dances, with the horses trampling the sheaves of wheat, the representation of the ancient shaving in the farmyard, or the threshing of wheat, key event of the Festival in Raddusa.

The festival begins two days before, with tastings of typical dishes, a parade of Sicilian carts, conferences and folkloristic performances that bring ancient local traditions back to life.

The history of the Wheat Festival in Raddusa

Raddusa, on the border with the Catania plain, is renamed la City of Grain, by virtue of the ancient link between the cereal and the local economy, supported and made prosperous by the cultivation and trade of wheat.

The Wheat Festival in Raddusa was born in 1994, with the patronage of the Municipality of Raddusa, the Sicily Region and the Pro Loco and with the collaboration of local traders, who organize this event in the town every year, to offer the public a taste of the most typical of local products.

Between folk music played by the band, costume parades and amused spectators, everyone in the town takes part in the Wheat Festival.

When the Wheat Festival takes place in Raddusa

The festival takes place every year in September. The three days dedicated to wheat, peaking in the afternoon of the last day, usually take place within the first two weeks of the month.

Where the Wheat Festival takes place in Raddusa

From the farmyard to the street, the whole town is involved in the festival. The village, populated by around 2.800 inhabitants, is located 350 meters above sea level on the hills bordering the Erei Mountains.

What to do during the Wheat Festival in Raddusa

At the festival you will be able to see with your own eyes how wheat was threshed centuries ago; an activity of rural tradition, capable of making you discover ancient values ​​and new sensations of harmony with nature. Discovering even the most genuine flavors of the Sicilian table will be a real pleasure in Raddusa, while also admiring all the beauties of the village and its surroundings.

In Raddusa you will discover the Italian National Tea Museum and Grain Museum, located in the historic center of the town like the Mother Church of the Immaculate Conception; we advise you to look for all the local attractions, because you will find ancient buildings like the Feud Tower (watching center) and theAncient water trough of Acqua Nuova, testimonies of a life that no longer exists today, but which still knows how to fascinate history enthusiasts.
Also explore the surroundings of the town, where you will come across the ruins of the Archaeological site in Contrada Calderone, Mill of Santa Lucia , Tower of Albospino. Even nature, near Raddusa, proves generous, offering visitors all the beauty of the Ogliastro lake, just 9,8 km from the village.

Moving a little further away from the centre, 14 km from the town there are theancient Morgantina and Gresti Castle.

How to get to Raddusa

Raddusa, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, is a center easily reachable by car or train.

By car:, take the A19 Palermo-Catania, exiting at the junction for Agira (8 km from Raddusa), while on the train, you can get off at Caltanissetta Centrale station, which is about 41 km from the town, a journey to be covered by bus or shuttle.