The Sagra delle Nocciole (Hazelnut Festival) in Polizzi Generosa is a triumph of taste, music and folklore.
Every year, on the third weekend of August, the charming village of Polizzi Generosa celebrates the most awaited and beloved event of the local community and visitors: the Sagra delle Nocciole. This gastronomic, folklore festival is dedicated to the celebration of peasant traditions and flavours, in particular hazelnuts, with this area having the ideal soil for their cultivation, thanks to the favourable climate and the rich presence of Madonie springs. Polizzi Generosa is famed for the superior quality of its hazelnuts, which are among the most prized in Italy. They are key ingredients of some of the tastiest sweets in the Polizzi landscape, such as the typical 'Nucatoli' biscuits and Christmas 'cuccidati'. Numerous stalls are set up during the festival, reflecting the workplaces of ancient trades of bygone days as if they were small travelling museums, offering delicious dishes of Polizzi gastronomy: from fresh local cheeses such as tuma and ricotta, to the slow food-certified pepper, 'u pipiddu', and wood-fired focaccia. Participating in the Sagra delle Nocciole in Polizzi Generosa represents an opportunity to immerse yourself in the local culture, appreciate the authentic flavours of Sicily, and rejoice in typical songs and dances that involve the entire population. Don't miss the opportunity to experience this feast of flavours, culture and tradition in the heart of the Madonie.
The event is an opportunity to immerse oneself in the rural history of the place, with faithful reconstructions of scenes of rural and everyday life in the past, such as "a mannara" (the place of animals), "u pagghiaru" (the shepherds' shelter), "a taverna" (a place of merry anecdotes).
The Madonie village is transformed, filling with wooden and stone huts made by the young people of Polizzi who, according to an annual tradition, recreate an ancient and fascinating environment, animated by ancient crafts and enlivened by young people in typical Sicilian costumes playing popular music to the sound of tambourines, penny whistles, Jew's harps and country dancing. This culminates in the iconic parade of colourful and unique Sicilian carts followed by folk groups from all over the world along the main street of the town.
It is an experience that combines entertainment, culture and gastronomy in a natural and historical setting of great beauty.
