Festival in Isnello, the Frittella

Isnello, in Metropolitan City of Palermo, welcomes the arrival of Spring every year with an event that combines taste and tradition, local scents and flavors in a big way Festival of Frittedda. The Festival in Isnello invites visitors to the village to taste the typical local dish made with broad beans, peas, artichokes and wild fennel fried in abundant olive oil, to be enjoyed with bread and wine.

Before the festival, the inhabitants of the town spend the whole day in the hills, intent on picking broad beans and peas, the local first fruits; later, the typical dish is prepared in the village, using the appropriate traditional tools, square and wooden spoons.

This is how, as soon as Spring arrives, at Eve of the Feast of the SS. Crucified, the Festival in Isnello offers to the participants hot pancakes and the most typical and genuine flavors of the country. On the feast day, the streets of the center are enlivened by the rhythm of the Banda Musicale and by the Midday concert in the square; later, after the religious chants, the Procession for the historical center starts.

The history of the festival in Isnello: the pancake

The Festival in Isnello was born in 1990, when the organizing committee met giving life to the event that precedes the Festa del SS. Santa Maria Crucifix. The inhabitants of the village have been offering themselves for years as volunteers in the collection of broad beans and peas, also participating in the preparation and distribution of the dishes. The festival takes place during the so-called Crunedda, the preparation octave culminating in the May Day celebration, here strongly felt from a religious point of view, in the day of the SS. Crucified.

When the festival takes place in Isnello

The festival in Isnello takes place on 29th April and begins with music and concerts, continuing in the afternoon with the Procession and ending around 21:00.

Where the Festival in Isnello takes place

Isnello is located on the northern coast of Sicily, about 77 km from Palermo. In the village, the festival takes place at the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, where the preparation of the dishes begins with the collection of broad beans and peas and in the main streets of the town, where the frittedde are distributed to the participants. The concert is held instead in Piazza Mazzini.

What to do during the festival in Isnello

After booking your stay at one of the accommodation facilities in Isnello, the first thing to do as soon as you arrive in the village is to participate in the festival, tasting the flavors of the local produce and getting ready for the Festa del SS. Crucified.

Spending a few days in the village, you will have the opportunity to discover the beauties of the historic center, medieval village founded by Count Ruggero: there are many churches, starting from Mother Church of San Nicolò, apparently of sixteenth-century style, but of much older foundation, the Church of St. Michael the Archangel with frescoes of the fourteenth century and the Church of Maria SS. of the Rosary, former Church of the Dominican Convent. In the village there are also many other sacred buildings, all to be discovered with magnificent walks in the centre.

Moving away from the historic center, you can reach the ruins of the Norman Castle, today owned by the Virga family, but in Isnello you will also find the Monuments to the Fallen and the Madonite Mother, a bronze sculpture from 1987. Those who want to learn more about the local culture will find a treasure at the Wefts of Thread Museum, a place that has handed down the ancient textile traditions of the country.

From the village it is easy to reach the Madonie Park, to immerse yourself in the spectacular greenery of one of the largest natural areas in Sicily, characterized above all by holm oaks and cork oaks.

For a spring walk by the sea, from Isnello you can go to Cefalù, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, where in addition to the sea, you will also find magnificent monuments to discover with a walk through the streets of the centre, from the Basilica of Sant'Agata to the ancient medieval wash house.
To reach Palermo, it takes about an hour and a half by car.

How is it possible to get to the Sagra a Isnello

Isnello, in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, is located at 530 meters above sea level and getting to the town is easy, whether you travel by car or by train.

Who prefers the driving feel, can take the A20 Messina-Buonfornello, up to the exit for Cefalù, about 9,7 km from the center, while those traveling on the train, can get off at Cefalù Station, 10 km from the town, continuing the journey by bus or private shuttle.