Cena dei Rivolti

A tradition with the flavor of the Maremma

The Cena dei Rivolti, also known as the Night of the Rivolti, is one of the most heartfelt and curious traditions of Cinigiano, a small village in the Province of Grosseto, Tuscany, located on the slopes of Mount Amiata, just a stone's throw from the Maremma. Every year, on Ash Wednesday, the village gathers to celebrate the end of Carnival and the beginning of Lent with a convivial ritual passed down through generations.

The origins: from the 1950s to today

The festival revives a custom dating back at least to the 1950s. In the past, in the days leading up to Lent, the young people of Cinigiano would divide into teams and travel through the village streets and the surrounding countryside to collect oil, wine, and other provisions: they would polish shoes, sharpen knives, and ask farmers and shopkeepers for chickens, lambs, and pigs. Everything they managed to gather was then used to prepare the great collective dinner of the evening, accompanied by quadrilles and songs.

The dishes of the Cena dei Rivolti

The stars of the evening are the rivolti, fried dough fritters made with flour, water, salt, and eggs, from which the festival takes its name. Alongside the rivolti, there are essential staples:

• Pulenda — polenta served with 'cacio' (aged pecorino cheese) and pepper, or with sauce;
• Grilled salt cod — the protagonist of the curious «baptism of the pig into salt cod», the ritual used to symbolically transform pork into fish to respect the religious prescriptions of Lent;
• Crogetti — typical Carnival sweets made of fried dough, sugar, and honey.

These specialties are prepared and eaten directly in the square, amidst the scent of the embers and the warmth of the community.

Music, dancing, and community

The Cena dei Rivolti is not just a gastronomic event: it is, above all, a moment of popular celebration. The evening is accompanied by accordion music and continues late into the night with dancing, chatting, and toasts, recreating the genuine atmosphere of the vigils of the past. The event is organized by the Pro Loco of Cinigiano, the same association that brings the village to life throughout the year, from the famous Grape Festival to summer initiatives.

Cinigiano, a village to discover

Visiting Cinigiano during the Cena dei Rivolti is also an opportunity to discover an authentic village in the Tuscan Maremma, far from the most touristy circuits, where peasant traditions are still alive. Among hills, vineyards, and olive groves, the village guards a heritage of flavors and customs that this end-of-Carnival festival tells better than any guidebook.