Festival of Cherries and Roses of Giarre

The Cherries and Roses Festival which takes place in the small hamlet of Macchia in Giarre, in the province of Catania, recalls one of the many traditional rural festivals held in Sicily to celebrate the end of the harvest. Today, this event has assumed such significant importance as to be equated to the famous feast of flowery almond and is attended by thousands of people each year.

Description of the Cherry and Rose Festival of Macchia di Giarre

Colored festoons, profusion of lights, the incredible chaos produced by thousands of visitors and onlookers crowding the stalls of local cherry producers who offer them to those who want to buy them and the desks of artisans displaying their products looking for customers. In this hubbub mix music, aromas, perfumes and the obvious chatter of tourists happy to assist, actively participating, in one of the most famous festivals in Sicily.

There are many initiatives that implement what was once only a rural festival that saw the participation of farmers and their families who, after having finished picking the turgid cherries, could breathe a sigh of relief before continuing their hard work on the fields.

The vision had by the person who in 1953 revived this tradition cannot be said to have been a success since the participation of visitors also from abroad was gradually progressing.
Today, the Cherry and Rose Festival of Macchia di Giarre has become a staple of Sicilian tourism not only intended for lovers of the red and fleshy fruit that is still produced here as in the past.

The story linked to the Cherry and Rose Festival of Macchia di Giarre

From the mid-eighteenth century it was realized that the land of the district of Stain Fund, was ideal for cultivating cherry trees given the incredible fertility of the fertile land, so much so that each plant was able to produce ten quintals of fruit.

At the center of this area there was a votive aedicule in honor of the Our Lady of Carmel which had at its side, a plant of climbing roses which flowered in the month of May, surrounding the small building with beautiful roses. The peasants and local inhabitants gathered in front of the votive chapel to pray and recite rosaries and, every year at the end of the cherry harvest, a rural festival was held to celebrate the end of the work.

At that time it was called " Feast of cirasi du Funnu a' Macchia", a tradition that was lost over time until the early fifties of the last century when Mariano Strano had the idea of ​​organizing that event to revive the customs of the past. Unlike the original party, he moved the event to the central square of Macchia. From 1953, after the first edition which pleased the local authorities, the event was revived and enriched year after year but the central square soon showed its lack of willingness to welcome those who wanted to participate in the event and it was decided to increase the streets would host the festival.

The number of events that became an active part of the festival also increased, such as the Costume Gathering of Southern Italy, the Parade of Carts Sicilians, the shows of Pupi, Exhibition of Sicilian artistic handicrafts and so on, so as to increase the duration that from the initial two days, developed into a week.

When the Cherry and Rose Festival of Macchia di Giarre takes place

The event takes place during the middle of June for an entire week. The date of the event is decided by the Organizing Committee which communicates the news on the official website of the event itself.

Where the Cherry and Rose Festival of Macchia di Giarre takes place

The Cherries and Roses Festival is held in Piazza San Vito a Macchia, a fraction of Giarre a couple of kilometers away from the city centre. Macchia owes its name to the dense bush that once covered the area.

What to do during the Macchia di Giarre Cherry and Rose Festival

Year after year, the festival always offers a rich calendar of events such as shows and cultural events that take place in a bucolic atmosphere during the weekend in which the dominant color is the red of the cherries emerging from the green of their leaves. There are many stands that sell cherries but also liqueurs, jams and compotes based on cherries but not only. In fact, there are food and wine stalls offering local products and stalls selling handicrafts.

How to get to the Macchia di Giarre Cherry and Rose Festival

By car:
Taking the Catania-Messina (A18) motorway, exit at the Giarre tollbooth. Continue on the SS114 Orientale Sicula and follow the signs for Macchia.

On the train:
Get off at the Giarre-Riposto railway station (Messina-Siracusa line). Go up Corso Italia adjacent to the railway station to get to the city centre.