Cavati Festival in Regalpetra

A festival that tells the story of Racalmuto

The Cavati Festival in Regalpetra takes place in the historic center of Racalmuto, a town in the Agrigento hinterland made famous by the writer Leonardo Sciascia, who renamed it Regalpetra in his works. The event celebrates the humble, identity-rich cuisine of the Carnival season, when traditional peasant and mining dishes returned to every table in Racalmuto.

Cavati: the pasta of memory

At the heart of the festival are cavati, a fresh pasta shaped by hand by rolling the dough under the fingers to create its signature hollow form. Served with a rich sauce, cavati are the symbolic dish of Racalmuto's conviviality. Alongside them, the festival offers specialties from the 'Thursday of the Godmothers' and the Carnival season:

• Polpette di crita, traditional meatballs made from stale bread soaked in milk, aged pecorino cheese, mint, eggs, and garlic
• Meat and sausage in tomato sauce
• Maccheroni in tomato sauce
• Chiacchiere, fritters, and doughnuts, the typical fried sweets of Carnival

The re-enactment of the 'Thursday of the Godmothers'

The emotional core of the festival is the re-enactment of the 'Giovedì delle Comari', a pre-Carnival tradition dating back to the last century and deeply rooted in the social fabric of Racalmuto. Seventy years ago, when most men worked in the sulfur mines and fields, the women of the town decided not to wait for their husbands in the evening, but to gather for lunch among themselves to share a meal and a moment of celebration. The re-enactment transports participants back to the 1970s and 80s, complete with period costumes, gestures, and atmosphere.

A day of taste and culture

The festival enlivens Piazza Fontana and the town center with an expovillage dedicated to local agri-food crafts, workshops like Hands in the Dough for school children led by local pasta makers and housewives, a street food area for lunch, and wandering musical entertainment that accompanies the public until the evening.

Racalmuto, the land of Sciascia

Visiting Racalmuto during the festival is also an opportunity to discover a town with a strong identity, in the heart of the Agrigento province and Sicily, linked to the memory of the sulfur mines and the figure of Leonardo Sciascia. It is a chance to combine food, history, and popular traditions of a community that proudly guards its roots.