Bozzola Festival

A festival between faith and tradition

The Bozzola Festival is a centuries-old event held in the hamlet of Bozzola in Garlasco (Province of Pavia), in the heart of Lomellina. The festival combines the religious dimension of the pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Bozzola with the popular one of stalls and the funfair, in a balance between sacred and profane that has been repeated for centuries.

The Sanctuary and its history

According to tradition, in 1465 the Virgin Mary appeared to a thirteen-year-old girl, Maria Benedetta, who miraculously regained her speech; the Virgin asked for a sanctuary to be built here to protect all of Lomellina. The Marian sanctuary, dating back to the 16th century, houses a painting attributed to Agostino da Pavia and remains an important center of devotion for the Pavia area.

Sacred and profane together

• Pilgrimage and religious celebrations at the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Bozzola;
• Exhibitor stalls along the square and the streets of the hamlet;
• Funfair on the outskirts of Bozzola;
• Food stalls with the flavors of Lomellina tradition.

The event, held on the two festive days of Easter and Easter Monday, attracts tens of thousands of visitors, confirming itself as one of the most deeply rooted occurrences of the religious and popular identity of Lomellina.