Autumn food festivals in Italy are a proper window into regional cooking. September brings grape harvests, pasta and chilli celebrations; October is prime time for rice, chestnuts and Tuscan food markets; November belongs largely to white truffles.
- Peperoncino Festival, Diamante
- Fiera del Riso, Isola della Scala
- Terra Madre Salone del Gusto, Turin
- Festa dell’Uva, Impruneta
- Boccaccesca, Certaldo
- Fiera Nazionale del Marrone, Cuneo
- Mostra Mercato Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco, San Miniato
- International White Truffle Fair, Alba
- Planning autumn sagre in Italy
Peperoncino Festival, Diamante
9–13 September 2026
The Peperoncino Festival returns to Diamante, Calabria, for its 34th edition in 2026. It celebrates the chilli pepper that gives so much Calabrian cooking its heat, with tastings, street food, cooking events, music and stalls along the town’s seafront.
It is an entertaining contrast to the more formal wine and truffle events of northern Italy. Food here can be fiery, but there is more to the festival than simply testing your tolerance for heat. Expect chilli-infused oils, cheeses, chocolate, liqueurs and preserves, alongside local Calabrian dishes.
Fiera del Riso, Isola della Scala
17 September–13 October 2026
The Fiera del Riso in Isola della Scala, near Verona, is one of Italy’s biggest rice festivals. It centres on Vialone Nano Veronese IGP, a short-grain rice particularly suited to creamy risotto.
The scale is much larger than a small sagra, with restaurants, food stands and events spread over several weeks. The classic plate is risotto all’Isolana, traditionally made with veal, pork and plenty of butter and cheese, although there are usually many other rice dishes on the menu.
Terra Madre Salone del Gusto, Turin
24–27 September 2026
Terra Madre Salone del Gusto is one of the most important food events in Italy, organised by the Slow Food movement. The festival in Turin brings together small producers, farmers, cooks, food activists and visitors for tastings, talks, market stalls and workshops centred on biodiversity and traditional food cultures.
This is not a village sagra. It is a large international event with a serious food-politics side, but it remains great fun for anyone who likes discovering unusual cheeses, pulses, preserved foods, heritage grains and products that rarely make it outside their region.
Festa dell’Uva, Impruneta
27 September 2026
Impruneta, just south of Florence, marks the 100th edition of its Festa dell’Uva on 27 September 2026. The headline event is the Parata dei Rioni, when the town’s districts create elaborate floats, costumes and performances around the grape harvest.
Food and wine are naturally part of the day, but this is more of a historic harvest celebration than a tasting-focused festival. It is a lovely option for anyone wanting a Tuscan vendemmia atmosphere without committing to a full winery visit.
Boccaccesca, Certaldo
8–11 October 2026
Boccaccesca takes over Certaldo Alto in October, bringing Tuscan food, wine, artisans and local producers to the medieval upper town. Menus and stalls usually centre on regional ingredients, including cheeses, cured meats, olive oil, wine and Certaldo’s much-loved red onion.
The setting does plenty of the work. Certaldo Alto sits above the modern town and is reached by funicular, with narrow historic streets that suit an unhurried wander between food stands. It is also the hometown of Giovanni Boccaccio, adding a little literary history to a very food-led day out.
Fiera Nazionale del Marrone, Cuneo
16–18 October 2026
Cuneo hosts the Fiera Nazionale del Marrone in October, celebrating the area’s prized chestnuts. This is one of the standout chestnut festivals in Italy and brings growers, producers and market stalls into the city centre.
Look out for caldarroste, roasted chestnuts served warm in paper cones, along with chestnut flour cakes, breads, pasta and liqueurs. Piedmont’s mountain food traditions are a big part of the atmosphere, and the event makes a good excuse to explore a city that is often overlooked in favour of Turin or Alba.
Mostra Mercato Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco, San Miniato
14–29 November 2026
The Mostra Mercato Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco di San Miniato runs across selected November weekends. It is one of Tuscany’s key white-truffle events, with the medieval town becoming a showcase for truffles, local wines, olive oil, cured meats and seasonal cooking.
San Miniato sits on a hill between Florence and Pisa, surrounded by countryside where white truffles are found. The historic centre gets busy, but that is part of the draw: stalls wind through the old streets, while restaurants put together special truffle menus.
International White Truffle Fair, Alba
10 October - 6 December 2026
The International Alba White Truffle Fair returns to Alba. It is one of the season’s headline truffle events, set in the Langhe hills of Piedmont, with the tartufo bianco d’Alba at the centre of a packed autumn programme.
The Truffle World Market is the key stop, where licensed sellers present fresh white truffles during their short and highly prized season. There are also guided tastings, cooking sessions and food-and-wine events exploring the region’s cheeses, hazelnuts and celebrated wines.
Planning autumn sagre in Italy
Smaller sagre can be the real treat, though they require a little flexibility. Programmes may be published late, websites can be basic, and the English information is often minimal. Searching for sagra autunno, festa del raccolto or sagra + ingredient + region can unearth local events that do not appear on mainstream travel calendars.
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