Bread and Tomato Festival

A tradition returns home

The Bread and Tomato Festival is one of those events that speaks directly to a town's collective memory. In Stagno, a hamlet in the municipality of Collesalvetti (province of Livorno, Tuscany), this festival dedicated to one of the simplest and most iconic dishes of Tuscan peasant cuisine is finally coming back to life after a ten-year absence. For an entire generation, it was a summer landmark: an opportunity to get out of the house, reconnect with neighbors, sit down to eat under the stars, and enjoy some music together.

The roots of the festival

The festival has its roots in the tradition of nearby Guasticce, another hamlet in Collesalvetti, where the bread and tomato festival enlivened summer weekends for decades, reaching over thirty editions. When that event faded away, a piece of the local social fabric went with it. The return of the festival to Stagno is therefore much more than a gastronomic event: it is the recovery of a collective ritual, a way of being together that for years united the inhabitants of the Collesalvetti hamlets and visitors from Livorno, Pisa, and Cascina.

The star dish

At the heart of it all is bread and tomato: slices of Tuscan bread, strictly unsalted, topped with ripe tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and a touch of garlic. A humble and generous dish that tells the story of these countryside kitchens better than a thousand words. Alongside the star dish, the stands offer homemade food, beer, and the genuine flavors of the Livorno tradition, in a menu designed for summer evenings.

Three nights of live music

The 2026 edition takes place over three evenings, each animated by a different musical group. It kicks off on Friday, July 10 with Viaggia Insieme a Me, continues on Saturday, July 11 with Il Resto della Ciurma, and concludes on Sunday, July 12 with the Gatta Band. The atmosphere is that of a typical Livorno village fair: long tables, laughter, toasts, and dancing under the summer sky.

A community event

Behind the festival is the hard work of the Lions Amaranto Rugby Livorno association, supported by over a hundred volunteers. It is precisely this spirit of participation that gives the event its value: promoting volunteerism and a sense of belonging is one of the stated goals of those who wanted to bring the festival back to life. For the municipality of Collesalvetti and the entire area, the return of the Bread and Tomato Festival in Stagno is a small but significant sign of rediscovered vitality.