Carnival Polenta Feast (Shrove Tuesday)

The San Mauro Torinese Carnival Polenta Feast

The Carnival Polenta Feast is one of the most beloved traditions in San Mauro Torinese, a town in the Metropolitan City of Turin overlooking the Po River, just outside the Piedmontese capital. Every year, on Shrove Tuesday, the festival marks the end of Carnival with a grand communal banquet set up in Piazza Europa, where the entire community gathers around a simple, iconic dish of Piedmontese peasant cuisine.

Polenta, bodin, and sautissa: traditional flavors

The undisputed star is the polenta, served according to the traditional recipe alongside bodin (a local blood sausage) and sautissa, the classic Piedmontese sausage. It is a convivial meal rooted in the local gastronomic culture: an opportunity to share the flavors of the past and keep alive a collective memory passed down through generations. The square transforms into a great meeting place, where seniors and families, neighbors and newcomers sit side by side.

A community celebration

The Polentata is promoted by the Municipal Administration of San Mauro Torinese in close collaboration with the Pro Loco Città di San Mauro, which manages the event's organization. Numerous local entities contribute to the event's success: the municipal canteen for food preparation, the Civil Protection, the Alpini Group, the local police, and the Red Cross provide logistical support and security. The festival is completely open to all citizens, in the true spirit of popular participation.

Carnival in Piazza Europa

The Polentata is part of the calendar of traditional events in San Mauro Torinese, alongside appointments such as the historic Strawberry Festival, the Feast of the Holy Bodies, and the Living Nativity. It is the highlight of the San Mauro Carnival: after the parades and masked celebrations, the community gathers in Piazza Europa to bid farewell to the Carnival season before the start of Lent. It is also a perfect opportunity for visitors to discover the authenticity of Piedmontese village festivals.