Brüsadèla Festival

A focaccia that tells a story of the land

Romagnese, in the Province of Pavia (Lombardy), is a village in the upper Oltrepò Pavese where a unique gastronomic tradition survives: the brüsadèla. It is a handmade round focaccia, with a very simple recipe — flour, a little yeast, and water, with the addition of salt or sugar depending on the desired version. Curiously, the brüsadèla originated as an indicator: home bakers used it to check the correct temperature of the wood-fired oven before baking bread.

The festival version

The star of the festival is the sweet brüsadèla, enriched with sugar and butter or with raisins and natural flavourings. To bake it in the traditional way, the approximately twenty old wood-fired ovens still active in the valley are fired up, in a collective effort that involves the entire community and preserves an ancient artisanal knowledge.

A day of taste and music

From the morning, around 9:30-10:00 AM, the brüsadèla is distributed to the public while musical entertainment begins. The historic centre of Romagnese fills with the aroma of the oven and people, in a popular festival that combines tasting the typical product with the pleasure of being together.

A Pro Loco tradition

Organized by the Pro Loco of Romagnese every last Sunday of August, the Sagra della Brüsadèla is one of the most cherished events in the Oltrepò Pavese. For visitors to this hilly corner of the province of Pavia, it is an opportunity to taste a rare product and discover an authentic village, far from the major tourist crowds.