The Greengrocer Festival in Piraino

The Ortolano Festival in Piraino is an event dedicated to the vegetable excellence of this area, in the province of Messina, very fertile and luxuriant from the point of view of crops. Surely taking part in the Sagra a Piraino can be the excuse to discover a small but very beautiful village, as well as to taste local food products that will not disappoint your expectations. Below all the most important information to take part in the event.

Description of the Ortolano Festival in Piraino

The Sagra a Piraino dedicated to the excellence of the garden is an event that is organized every year and carefully prepared by the Valle dei Lumi Association which, edition after edition, seeks to combine promotion of the territory and local products with folklore events and musical performances, to satisfy a truly large audience.

The territory on which Piraino stands, a hill overlooking the sea, is in an enviable position as it enjoys a temperate climate which is perfect for such a delicate cultivation as that of vegetables. Precisely for this reason, over the years the need has been felt to organize an event that could make known to everyone, especially to an audience of tourists who visit this area every year, all the products of the earth that are used in the local cuisine, made of simple but very tasty dishes.

The story linked to the Sagra a Piraino

In 2005, when the tourist flows in the area of ​​the province of Messina began to increase, the pressing need was felt to be able to organize something that would let the general public know the uses, customs, traditions, food and wine and typical products of a land that had remained on the margins for too long.

Hence the initiative of the Valle dei Lumi Association which wanted an event that could transfer the typical aromas and flavors of Piraino to the general public. And what's better than the explosion of taste of fresh seasonal vegetables? For this reason, the Ortolano Festival was designed which, year after year, reached the 2022 edition practically without interruptions, apart from a few missed appointments due to the Covid epidemic.

When the festival takes place in Piraino

The Ortolano Festival in Piraino takes place every year in August, precisely because it was thought of to do it when the tourist flows are more intense, to have a very large audience. There is no precise date, however, even if the previous editions have always coincided with a Sunday in the last two weeks of the month.

In reality, the variable date also depends on the fact that the Sagra a Piraino is not the only appointment on the calendar but is part of a rich schedule of events that include other much loved events such as the Cunzatu Bread Festival, Feast under the Tower or the evening dedicated to Sicilian culture and gastronomy which usually closes this period of events. However, the municipality promptly publishes the calendars for each edition of the Summer in Piraino, so as not to miss anything.

Where the greengrocer festival takes place in Piraino

The festival dedicated to garden products is held in Piraino but more precisely in Contrada Sant'Ignazio, where it is possible to have the large spaces available which are necessary to set up all the stands of food and wine products but also for the stage, on which musical groups of various kinds perform every year.

What to do during the Ortolano Festival in Piraino

The Greengrocer Festival in Piraino is obviously an appointment especially for the sweet tooth, those who are interested not only in trying the typical products and more traditional recipes but also in enjoying the best that the land has to offer.

Precisely for this purpose, the food and wine stands are the most eagerly awaited, where visitors can taste many different specialties that are exclusively based on fresh vegetables, cooked in many ways and in combination with other local flavourssuch as cold cuts and cheeses.

However, there are also folklore and cultural events, in particular the guided tours that want to bring tourists to discover the small village of Piraino. As in any self-respecting festival, the musical aspect is very important because it acts as the soundtrack of the event.

That of the Festival in Piraino is entrusted to the Kilimanjaro Band, known for being the regular musical guest of Licia Colò's television program dedicated to travel. From edition to edition, then, the calendar is enriched with other appointments designed to involve a very large public, in the discovery of this small inhabited nucleus also known by the nickname of the Country of the two towers, precisely due to the presence of two buildings of this type, the Saracen Tower , Ciavole Tower.

How to get to Piraino

It is very easy to get to Piraino from both Catania and Messina via the A20 motorway. The junction to be taken as a reference is that of Brolo/Capo d'Orlando east from which you then continue along State Road 113 to your destination. Piraino can also be reached by train, although the town does not have its own station. The closest ones are the stations of Brolo, Gioiosa Marea or Patti from which, then, you continue to your destination with the local bus service: the village is connected with Messina through an excellent bus line with departures several times a day from two terminus.