Autumn Tortellone Festival of Bevilacqua

Tortellone, the autumn star in Bevilacqua

In the plains of the Bassa bolognese, where the fields blend with those of Ferrara, the hamlet of Bevilacqua belongs to the Municipality of Crevalcore, in the Province of Bologna (Emilia-Romagna). It is here that, every autumn, the Autumn Tortellone Festival takes place: the autumn version of the town's historic summer festival, designed for those who love gathering around the table when the evenings get cooler and the heated marquee becomes the right place to be.

A warm marquee, even when it rains outside

The festival takes place under the PalaSagre, the covered and heated stand set up at the sports field in Via Riga 36. This is no small detail: even in case of autumn bad weather, the festival continues, and you can dine sheltered and warm, comfortably seated at the long tables that are the heart of Emilian conviviality.

A tortellone menu that is a journey of taste

The absolute protagonist is the tortellone, here offered in many versions that showcase the creativity of the Bassa's 'azdore' (women who traditionally make pasta). On the menu, you'll find the great classics and some recipes created by the festival:

• Pumpkin Tortelloni, sweet and fragrant, a symbol of the autumn season
• Ricotta and Spinach Tortelloni with butter and sage, the most traditional
• Green Tortelloni and Red Tortelloni, house variations
• Cardinal Lambertini Tortelloni, a delicious tribute to Prospero Lambertini from Bologna, future Pope Benedict XIV
• Estensi Tortelloni and Sausage Tortelloni

Alongside the tortelloni, the kitchen offers traditional peasant and seasonal main courses: mixed grill, roast lamb, fried fish, and the inevitable fried frogs, a specialty that in the Bassa region between Bologna and Ferrara recalls an economy based on marshes and ponds. To finish, traditional desserts.

A village festival run by volunteers

The festival is organized by A.S.D. Bevilacqua FC Calcio, the town's sports club, with the support of the Municipality of Crevalcore. It is one of those festivals where the proceeds support local community life and where the volunteers from the hamlet are behind the stoves: the most authentic way to experience an Emilian festival, far from the major tourist circuits and close to the people.

The special free evening

To crown the event, a final evening with free admission featuring fried gnocchi (gnocchini fritti), the typical Finalesi fritters, and live music: a moment of celebration open to the whole town, to bid farewell to the autumn festival together.