During one of my darkest days here, a local woman told me “Non ti preoccupare. A Roma quando chiude una porta, apre un portone” (Don’t worry, in Rome when a door closes, an even bigger door opens). I didn’t believe it at the time but it proved to be true. Just when you start getting down on Rome, it always surprises you with something great if you are astute enough to grab it. So for now I’ll put aside the ranting about crime and filth, and tell you about what I saw the other day on the side of a bus. Busses, by the way, are one of the best ways to get information in Rome – concerts, art shows and other events that you won’t hear about anywhere else are prominently displayed there. Public transportation in Rome might not be that reliable, but at least it’s informative.
The other evening, I spotted on the #3 bus (which is supposed to be the #3 tram, but let’s not get to ranting again) an advertisement for a new web site sponsored by the Region of Lazio, which Rome falls square in the middle of. This site Lazio Feste, provides a searchable list of sagre or festivals in the Lazio Region. When Rome gets to be just too much for you – alas! – there is bound to be a sagra in one of the surrounding towns. Although they might seem an ancient tradition rooted in Latium’s pagan past, most sagre only go back a few years, when they were devised as ways to promote small towns that lie within striking distance of Rome but have always remained “off the map” as tourist destinations. Even some of the most well-known and celebrated sagre in Lazio, such as the Sagra dell’ Uva or wine festival at Marino are 20th, century inventions, but many have their roots in earlier historical events or feast days of patron saints.
Perhaps it is a sign of the times that food is celebrated at a larger proportion of these events than saints or Madonnas, whose feasts were the cultural bedrock of times past. But its not surprising in the sense that the modern feasts are designed to attract outsiders to these sleepy towns, and rural Lazio’s food traditions are a much bigger attraction than its churches and sanctuaries (there are a few exceptions but let’s face it – after St. Peters, nothing stands up). The foods celebrated include wine, porchetta (roast pork), black truffles, porcini mushrooms, chestnuts and a variety of pasta and meat dishes.
Of course there are a few exceptions to the food-themed feasts. One is the living nativity, which several towns get dressed up for during December. Still other towns celebrate a living passion of Christ around Easter time, which is really something to see (don’t worry, they don’t actually crucify anyone, but they do find a lucky guy to parade around town hanging from a cross). Unfortunately, the feast in Capena, a small town north of Rome, where small children were encouraged to gather round a bonfire and light up cigarettes, has been seriously toned down following bad press. But every once in awhile, you can find something really unique or bizarre.
Sagre in Lazio happen all year around. Some of the most popular are listed on Rome : Alive! You can find a full, searchable list of them on HYPERLINK "http://www.laziofeste.it" www.laziofeste.it. Go crazy – and let us know about your sagra experiences!