Artichoke Festival in Ramacca

The artichoke festival boasts a very long history behind it, with 30 highly successful editions, which have always aroused the keen interest of local people and who have recently crossed the borders of the provincial territory to land throughout Sicily, showcasing the products and typical features of this magnificent environment and landscape.

During the event you can taste the dishes a artichoke base , in the Ramacchese violet variety, an excellence rich in flavour , which combines goodness with authenticity. The event takes place in the center of the town and also involves the main points of architectural, historical, cultural and tourist interest. It is an appointment that absolutely cannot be missed because it represents a uniqueness to be preserved and handed down to future generations.

The festival has never lost its charm, with an ever-increasing number of visitors and onlookers who want to find out everything about this delicacy of the table, deepening the notions from a nutritional point of view, as regards the recipes and as regards folkloristic dimension.

History and flavors of Ramacca

Surely the main reason is inherent in the geographical location of the town, located in the middle of the Catania countryside, in an area where there is no shortage of greenery and land to cultivate. The presence of water and the particular fertility make this place perfect for farmers. Here there are citrus groves, olive groves and vines, as well as obviously the cultivation of artichokes, from which this event derives.

Such activities were known as early as the ancient times of the Greeks and even in Roman times, with the town holding a world record in vegetable production. The variety of violet artichoke it is greatly appreciated by every self-respecting gourmet. Ramacca, precisely because of its strong tendency towards hospitality, is defined as the country of foreigners, welcoming tourists who want to get to know the customs of the place up close and enveloping them in an atmosphere where family warmth is the primary ingredient.

The smells, flavors and colors presented by the event belong to a context where peasant life has never ceased to outline the distinctive characteristics of society. Ramacca has always been a meeting point for different cultures, with many civilizations that have left an indelible mark, integrating themselves with the dictates of a well-rooted tradition.

When and where the artichoke festival takes place in Ramacca

Spring is the season dedicated to events on the flavors of Ramacca: the artichoke festival is generally held in the month of April . For two weekends, artistic, musical and entertainment initiatives take place, combined with the celebration that involves the entire village centre.

The programming of the festival does not only include tastings on site but must be placed in a much broader dimension. Over the thirty years of celebration, an increasingly more modality has been developed inclusive , which has gradually transformed into a sort of very interesting showcase reserved for Sicilian producers, who can showcase their delicacies and make them known to a vast audience.

I conferences which concern the cultivation of artichokes are aimed at all of Catania and also at those who come from outside the provincial territory. If you are in Ramacca on the weekends of April, the best suggestion is to keep yourself constantly updated on the events calendar to take part in this beautiful event.

What to do during the artichoke festival in Ramacca

On the days scheduled for the festival, the historic center of Ramacca comes alive with farmers and traders who take advantage of this cultural and gastronomic stage to offer a unique vegetable of its kind. You can appreciate the strong artisan push of the population, with numerous banquets which make walking through the streets of the town even more fun. There is not only the Ramacchese violet artichoke but it is also possible to buy juicy and delicious ones Sicilian blood oranges , honey, cheeses and homemade bread.

- wine lovers they have the privilege of finding famous labels in the regional wine scene, together with true rarities that come from wineries in the area. Those who prefer to enjoy a cultural itinerary, however, can take part in the guided tours towards civic Museum or at the Museum of Musical Bands.

Initiatives are planned in Archaeological Park , which presents the prehistoric remains of a village and the ruins of a center of Sicilian and Greek origin. Then there are other architectural attractions such as the Mother Church dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, with the bell tower from which the clock stands. Worth a visit is the Church of San Giuseppe, the patron saint of the town, for whom religious rites are celebrated at different times of the year.

How to reach Ramacca to attend the event

To reach the municipality where the event takes place, you can decide to use the car, driving along the Palermo-Catania motorway and choosing to exit at Garbini, Catenanuova or Motta S. Anastasia. In the latter case you must then take the State Road No. 192 heading towards Enna, continuing on the SS 288 and taking the crossroads for Ramacca on the Provincial Road.

The alternative is to drive on the Catania-Gela road and exit at km 40 at the crossroads which then leads to the town.
In Catania there are also the railway station and the airport.