Festival of Madonite Flavors in Petralia Sottana

Colours, smells, flavours: an Autumn Festival, in Petralia Sottana, which celebrates the land and its fruits with a fair in the province of Palermo, where tourists can discover local products and delicacies of all sorts.
Roasted chestnuts to eat on the go, legume soups and stews to taste at the food stands, take-away grilled sausages and stigghiole, wild boar sauce and then desserts, cannoli, fried guastedde and cakes, to end the tasting on a sweet note, during the two days of the Festa dei Sapori Madoniti in Petralia Sottana.

While eating and strolling through the centre, there is no shortage of entertainment shows (even natural ones!) to amuse and amaze citizens and tourists. Theatrical performances, guided visits to Madonie Park, jugglers and entertainment, even for the little ones, make the 48 hours of the party an uninterrupted succession of events not to be missed.

The fair promotes all quality and certified products (Denominazione Comunale d'Origine) to offer its visitors only the best of local production, such as vegetables and fruit, but the list of all the delicious dishes that you will find in Petralia cannot be runs out here: the menu is all to be discovered on the spot!

To keep a memory of this event back home, visitors will be able to buy local artifacts directly at the stalls of the Sicilian artisans present at the fair.

The history of the Madonite Flavors festival in Petralia Sottana

The Festa dei Sapori Madoniti in Petralia Sottana is a trade fair and food and wine event organized by the Municipality, in concert with the Traders' Association.
The Festival was established in 2008 to enhance the work of local farms and make the best of their production known to the general public: the products to be tasted and purchased at the Festival can boast the De.CO certification (Municipal Designation of Origin) and they are therefore food at km 0, genuine and healthy.

When the Madonite Flavors festival takes place

On 30 and 31 October, in the last week of the month, the stands are set up in the village to celebrate the products of the earth in the autumn season.
The food and wine stands start welcoming visitors at 9:00 in the morning and then stay open late. In the evening, theater performances and other entertainment activities take place.

Where the Madonite Flavors festival takes place

The heart of the Feast of Madonite Flavors in Petralia Sottana and Corso Paolo Agliata, one of the main roads in the country.

Petralia Sottana is a municipality populated by about 2.500 people in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, which in the month of October welcomes many tourists and inhabitants of neighboring countries.
Petralia Sottana is about 107 km from Palermo.

What to do during the Madonite Flavors festival

Entrance to the fair and Festa dei Sapori Madoniti in Petralia Sottana is completely free, but those who do not want to miss any event once they arrive in Petralia are reminded that it is better to book for guided tours.

Once they reach the Fair, everyone can taste the local delicacies such as cured meats, cheeses and liqueurs and have fun in the festive atmosphere of the town, with music and shows. Even for children there is no shortage of opportunities for fun, thanks to the entertainment specially dedicated to the little ones.

A visit to the Fair can be the occasion for a longer stay in Petralia Sottana: in this way, tourists will be able to taste all the traditional dishes, from appetizers to desserts and also discover the beauties of the place.

In the village, you can visit the historic center with its churches and the old Jewish quarter, the premises of the old prison which now house the Collisani Museum (with the archaeological and natural sections) or admire the view from Piazza Umberto. Not far from the village, climbing to the top of the Monte Alto, you can visit the Sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Alto, symbolic place of the Patroness of Petralia and a destination for religious pilgrimages.

Petralia Sottana is just 20 km from the Madonie Park, where a visit is recommended especially for nature lovers. Here the peaks of the highest mountains reach almost 2.000 meters and the park is inhabited by wild pigs, wild boars, foxes, hares, wild cats and dormice. A perfect place also for those who want to go birdwatching, given the presence of blackcaps, blue tits and many other birds, including the raven.

About an hour's journey from Petralia, along the North Western coast of the island in the direction of Termini Imerese, you can visit Caccamo: here you can visit many beauties, such as the Castle, where you can take a guided tour or the beautiful church of San Giorgio Martire, built in the XVII century, but built on the ruins of a Norman church of 1090.

How to get to the Madonite Flavors festival in Petralia Sottana

To take part in the Festa dei Sapori Madoniti in Petralia Sottana, you have to go to the centre, in Corso Paolo Agliata. The town is part of the Metropolitan City of Palermo and can be easily reached by car or train.

Those traveling by car can take the A19 Palermo-Catania and take the exit for Irosa, about 10 km from the centre; for those who prefer to travel by train, we recommend getting off at Cefalù station, 25 km from Petralia: the journey can continue by bus or shuttle to the centre.