We are in Gavignano, precisely on a long hill overlooking the Sacco Valley, in a medieval village where cars cannot enter. All the alleys are covered with traditional white stone and the houses are made of stone.
And right in the centre of the town, under the ancient Baronial Palace, every year you can participate in one of the most anticipated events in the valley: the Wedding Banquet.
Not a marriage of kings and queens, but a re-enactment of a traditional peasant wedding of the last century, indeed of the mid-nineteenth century.
And even if the great Julius Caesar had a villa in Gavignano and Pope Innocent III was born here, that of Saint Francis, the people of Gavignano have chosen to remember the peasant life linked to the life of the fields and the rhythms of nature.
And what's more festive than a wedding in the summer?
Gavignano shines under the afternoon sun that paints the valley pink, the historic centre is filled with happy people and the scents of the dishes flood the air through the alleys.
The centre of the feast is obviously the square in front of the Baronial Palace, where there is the stage with live music played by popular groups and where the tables of the spouses and guests are positioned.
And each of you can be a guest by coming to dine at our Wedding Banquet. And each of you will be able to taste the traditional dishes prepared with typically local products of our beloved territory.
But let's go back to the wedding and the wedding procession that passes along the streets of the town recalling the traditions of the past according to a script that has been studied by the experts of our Museum of Peasant Civilization which you can visit with our guides.
The music is entrusted to the students of one of the most prestigious music schools affiliated to a Conservatory. Young people hop and follow the spouses and make the cheerful notes bounce among the ancient medieval buildings in the centre.
Afther the wedding procession, the Wedding Banquet!
You sit at the table and between the courses you can taste the famous cheeses, both sheep and cow, and the meat of the farmers of Gavignano omelette with herbs, beans with pork rind, polenta with pork sauce, sheep a jo callaro, grilled mutton, strascinate field herbs, panzanella, bread soup, tripe, cod with potatoes ….with pork sauce, pecora a jo callaro, grilled mutton, strascinate pasta, field herbs, Panzanella (bread salad), bread soup, tripe, cod with potatoes…
Obviously the main dish, the best one, is the famous Macaroni (Maccaruni) Gavignanesi, to which our village dedicates a day of celebration with the Macaroni Festival, just the day after the wedding.
The macaroni are made by volunteers from the Pro Loco who use flour from the Iacquino di Vicalvi mill, both in the 0 shape and wholemeal version, fine eggs and water from our beloved Fonte Meo. We cut them fine and needless to say that those who come for the first time cannot help but return every year.
The food and wine experience also involves local wine and every year we make an agreement with an excellent local winery to promote the local vines such as Cesanese del Piglio, Passerina or Bellone.
And between one course and the next you can participate in the traditional games of tug of war ... .. and above all dance to the rhythm of the saltarelli.
What can I still advise you? Get to know our feast and take advantage of it to enjoy a romantic sunset from the terrace in front of our church which overlooks the whole valley.
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