Anzola Festival - Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary
The town's autumn festival, between devotion to the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary, market, and traditional cuisine
About Anzola Festival
Anzola dell'Emilia's Autumn Festival
The Anzola Festival, linked to the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary, is the most anticipated autumn event in Anzola dell'Emilia, a town in the plain west of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna. It is celebrated every year on the first Sunday of October and has its roots in the time when Anzola was essentially a farming village: the festival marked the end of fieldwork and was an occasion for everyone, locals and visitors alike, to come together around the devotion to the Madonna del Rosario.
A Weekend of Tradition
For three days, the squares and streets of the town—particularly Piazza Grimandi, Piazza Giovanni XXIII, and Via Goldoni—transform into the vibrant heart of the festival. The market with its stalls (mixed merchandise) is complemented by craft markets, shows organized by the Pro Loco and local associations, and especially by the food stands offering the flavors of Emilian cuisine.
- Fried crescentine served with local cured meats
- Raviole, pinza, and brazadela, traditional peasant desserts
- Traditional cuisine and takeaway fish dishes
- Fried borlenghi and "Oktober Fest" style beer
The Religious Heart of the Festival
Alongside the town's festivities, the festival retains its devotional soul. The parish community of Saints Peter and Paul celebrates the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary with Sunday masses, the recitation of the rosary in the afternoon, solemn second vespers, and the evocative procession with the Madonna that winds through Via Goldoni. This is the most intense and defining moment, giving meaning to the entire event and uniting generations to this day.
A Community Festival
The Anzola Festival is organized by the parish community of Anzola dell'Emilia together with the Centro Culturale Anzolese, under the patronage of the Municipality of Anzola dell'Emilia (Metropolitan City of Bologna) and with the collaboration of the Pro Loco, local associations, and many volunteers. Admission is free: it is a festival designed for families, children, and anyone who wants to discover the hospitality and good food of this corner of the Bolognese plain.
Anzola Festival — edition 2026
The Anzola Festival 2026 takes place on the weekend of October 3-4, culminating on Sunday, October 4, the first Sunday of the month according to tradition. The event is confirmed by the regional register of fairs in Emilia-Romagna, which places it in the squares and streets of the town center with indicative hours from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM.
This year again, the festival intertwines its dual soul: on one hand, the market and food stands in Piazza Grimandi and Piazza Giovanni XXIII and Via Goldoni, and on the other, the religious celebrations of the parish community of Saints Peter and Paul in honor of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary.
Programme Anzola Festival 2026
Friday, October 2 and Saturday, October 3
- From 6:00 PM — food stands in Piazza Giovanni XXIII (baked crescentine, raviole, pinza, and brazadela)
- From 6:30 PM — traditional cuisine and takeaway fish dishes in Piazza Grimandi
- From 6:00 PM — fried crescentine in Via Goldoni
- Craft markets and shows by the Pro Loco and local associations in Piazza Grimandi
Sunday, October 4
- Morning — Holy Masses in the parish church of Saints Peter and Paul
- From 10:00 AM / 12:00 PM — opening of food stands and traditional cuisine
- Traveling market of the Festival in the streets and squares of the town center
- 5:00 PM — recitation of the Holy Rosary, followed by solemn Second Vespers
- Following — Procession with the Madonna del Rosario along Via Goldoni
- Afternoon and evening — shows, entertainment for families and children, fried borlenghi, and beer
The detailed program for the 2026 edition (precise times and activities) will be published by the organizers in the weeks preceding the festival on the website of the Municipality of Anzola dell'Emilia.
Highlights Anzola Festival 2026
Prices Anzola Festival 2026
Practical information — Anzola Festival
When
First Sunday of October. The 2026 edition takes place on the weekend of October 3-4, culminating on Sunday, October 4, 2026 (approximate hours for the market and stands: 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM).
Where
Piazza Grimandi, Piazza Giovanni XXIII, and Via Goldoni, in the town center of Anzola dell'Emilia (BO), about 15 km west of Bologna.
How to Get There
By car from the Via Emilia (SS9) or the highway exit; by train on the Bologna-Verona line, Anzola dell'Emilia station; by bus with TPER suburban lines from Bologna.
Admission
Free. Info: [email protected] - tel. +39 335 6996893.
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Where does it take place — Anzola Festival
Piazze e vie del capoluogo
Piazza Giovanni Grimandi, 40011 Anzola dell'Emilia