The Feast of San Pellegrino in Caltabellotta

Every year, in the month of August, the feast of the patron saint is held in Caltabellotta in the province of Agrigento, San Pellegrino. The town is very devoted to its protector and for this reason on the weekend dedicated to his celebrations the village is filled with faithful coming not only from Caltabellotta but also from neighboring towns.

For all the curious who want to immerse themselves in a moment that mixes perfectly devotion e Folklore, here is everything you need to know to participate in the San Pellegrino festival in Caltabellotta.

Description of the feast of San Pellegrino in Caltabellotta

The feast of San Pellegrino in Caltabellotta is linked to the devotion that the town has towards the Saint, about whom there is a legend which is linked to the protection of the village from a dragon that lived in the caves of Mount Kratas.
It is an event that is deeply felt by the population, which mixes the sacred and the profane in terms of events religious celebrations - which culminate with the procession in honor of Pellegrino - are accompanied by fireworks displays, food stands and much more.

The story related to the event

The history of the event is closely linked to legend which tells of the arrival of San Pellegrino in Caltabellotta. According to the chronicles of the time, in fact, Pellegrino had arrived in Sicily because he was sent by Peter to convert the local populations, who were still pagan.

However, upon his arrival he found a population totally subjugated by the fear of a dragon who lived in the local mountains and who asked for a child as a sacrifice every day. With his holy stick, Pilgrim managed to defeat the beast and save the child as a sacrifice that day, who was later called Liberated.

From that moment, Pellegrino settled in the village and himself lived in the caves of the mountain, then upon his death he was declared patron saint of the town. Over the centuries, then, the habit of celebrating in the central part of the month of August was established, with a solemn procession in honor of the saint.

When the feast of San Pellegrino takes place

The feast of San Pellegrino in Caltabellotta is held every year in the month of August, usually the weekend which also includes Ferragosto. The event lasts for 3 days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Where the event takes place

The event starts and ends in front of the church of San Pellegrino but in reality it involves the whole village since many of the scheduled events take place in the different squares of the town in the province of Agrigento.

What to do during the feast of San Pellegrino

As already underlined, the feast of San Pellegrino is a moment that mixes the sacred and the profane. Obviously the most heartfelt part of this occasion is the one which is dedicated to the saint and which culminates in procession in honor of Pellegrino: the wooden statue of the saint is carried by devotees outside the church dedicated to him and then carried through the entire village, before returning to its natural location.

If this is the most important event dedicated to the saint, there are many others, such as the torchlight procession which accompanies the tour of the relics and obviously the holy mass which is held in the church of San Pellegrino and which closes the religious celebrations.

Alongside these, however, there are also many more social events, with the musical show that enlivens each of the three evenings, the fair with the food and wine stands to discover the local cuisine and many other initiatives that aim to raise awareness of such a rich and interesting area as that of Caltabellotta.

How is it possible to get to Caltabellotta

To get to Caltabellotta and take part in the feast of San Pellegrino, it is necessary to Palermo and from Trapani take the A29 and then continue on SS386 or on SS115 .
Those coming from Catania, on the other hand, will use the A19 to then continue with the previous state roads.

Caltabellotta is also affected by a local bus service, provided by the company ATS while as far as trains are concerned, it does not have its own station but you can reach the closest one in Castelvetrano and then continue from there with the bus service.