In Italian, “gusto” means “flavor” – and what flavorful rural goodness cooked up by the locals to celebrate la Festa di Sant’Anna, July 26th.
And the rural people of the mountain area near Assisi don’t just fête the Saint for a day..but for ten days. Locals outfitted in the obligatory plastic caps (for anyone cooking), white aprons, white T-shirts slice and dice, chop and mix, grill and fry in the tent kitchen of the Festa di Sant’Anna for ten nights, cooking from about 6 pm til 1 a.m. And after a long day’s work for most of these volunteer cooks: farmers, truck-drivers, housekeepers, ambulance drivers, carpenters, retired factory workers, heavy equipment operators, school janitors, house painters and hairdressers unite nightly to cook up the rural goodness.
All united to cook…
Young volunteers run the trays of grilled lamb, pork shank with roasted potatoes, gnocchi with sauce of goose meat – just to name a few of the buonissimi dishes – to the plank tables, filled with families and groups of young people joining to celebrate the area Patron Saint in the way Italians celebrate any occasion: by feasting together. The young ones help clear tables too – assisted by some “not-so-young” volunteers.
Young ones handle the service…
And afterwards, comes the ballroom dancing to the music of a live band. At this country festival – also called a “sagra” – dance bands play most nights but a theatrical presentation follows dinner one night and on another, a card-playing competition.
The band feasts before taking the stage
Ballroom dancing after feasting
We were there on the 26th, Sant’Anna’s feast day, and after an evening Mass in the little pre-fab church, an explosion of fireworks honored her. Truly a celebration with gusto.
Click here to read about my link to Sant’Anna
Read about the origin of “la sagra”
Click here for more on sagras, all over Umbria
