Near Assisi, That Sant’Anna Sagra Goodness Unites Alll

All over Umbria – and in many regions of Italy – from springtime to late autumn, local village food festivals – le sagre – draw together the locals in feasting — and often after dinner, ballroom dancing to live music.

Pino and I recently joined local neighbors at a sagra near our house, in a mountain area not far from Assisi called “Paradiso di Assisi.” This beloved Festa di Sant’Anna always includes July 26th, Feast of St. Anne and this year, the sagra animated our mountain area of Paradiso from July 18th to July 27th. Sagra events, in fact, usually last about then days.

All around the Assisi area, posters of the event indicated not only starting times of the dinners but also the band entertaining each night as many appassionati of ballroom dancing will head to the festa to dance to the music of a favorite group.

At any sagra, volunteers cook up the local specialties in huge tents and young – and older – volunteers serve at tables.

I ordered prosciutto e melone…

…while Pino opted for the grilled lamb and patate fritte, brought to us by our smiling young server, Anna. Joining Pino’s order was my request for la torta, the Umbrian flat bread, filled with sautéed wild chicory and pecorino (sheep’s milk cheese):

Of course that Umbria rural goodness was enhanced by a local wine: a whie one this time, trebbiano…..

…and as at every sagra, other volunteers handled beverage orders in a separate booth:

And our sagra dinner was certainly at prezzi popolari!

All around us, young volunteers served up the goodness:

Guests enjoyed savoring local specialties while chatting with friends and family:

The huge tents quickly filled up but service was rapid…as was the clean-up by other volunteers:

Pino and I left before 9 30 when the ballroom dancing was to start but the musicians were busy on the stage, setting up their equipment. Chairs encircled the dance floor…and they’d fill up soon..

.Two of the young servers came up to us as we left, asking me to take their photo…..