The Sagra of Civitella Roveto : Italian Holidays

The sagra of Civitella Roveto is held over a long weekend at the end of October. It is a food and wine tour that winds through the beautiful medieval streets where you can enjoy a wide array of foods from the local area. This is the reason we have made it part of our ‘Italia Gastromica Tour’. It is an unforgettable experience of real Italian life.

About Civitella Roveto

The town of Civitella Roveto is located at m. 525 a.s.l., in the center of the Roveto Valley, Abruzzo. It is in the province of L’Aquila and has 3,350 inhabitants. It is served by major roads and railways; and crossed by the river Liri. It is the seat of many and important public offices. Its economy is mainly tourist and commercial.

Civitella Roveto is twinned with three other European cities: Domasnea (Romania), Erythres (Greece) and Cessieu (France).

The towns most famous inhabitant is Enrico Mattei, President of the Italian oil company ‘Agip’ (Azienda Generale Italiana Petroli) and founder of Eni (‘Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi‘ It- State Hydrocarbons Authority). A monument stands there in honor of him.

Renowned since ancient times, river shrimp abounded in the waters of the River Liri. more, in the 60s and 70s. The changes that took place in the environment, and in their very delicate ecosystem, had made them almost disappear. For some years, however, the streams that flow into the Liri and some stretches of the river have enabled their return. We are slowly reconstituting that environmental balance which, over the centuries, has made the Roveto Vally particularly beautiful and attractive.

In this magnificent strip of the Apennines, the autumn season is particularly lavish with its finest products: the sweet ‘roscetta’ chestnut, the truffle, with its unmistakable aroma, the dense and fragrant oil, and then the wine, cheeses, the fruit, the mushrooms of the thick woodlands. This is therefore, the best time to recreate the atmospheres and flavors of the past. As with every year since 2001, the historic center, the old cellars and shops will reopen, offering an original and seductive reconstruction of the peasant city of the past.

Sagra Lungo le Antiche Rue – Festival along the ancient roads

Below is a map of the sagra in 2010, denoting the different gastronomic stops along the way. We have also included a few of the images taken from this, our very first visit to the infamous sagra of Civitella Roveto.

Over a long weekend, thousands of visitors will enjoy excellence in the gastronomic field, the splendid scenery of this ancient village, with its colorful and welcoming streets, and the cellars that overflow with a staggering array of aromas and flavors. In the case of the 2010 sagra, there were 71 different stops, the majority of which were offering local food.