Cerrè Marabino Tortello Festival

A Mountain Festival with a Scent of Tradition

The Cerrè Marabino Tortello Festival is one of the most cherished gastronomic events in the Reggio Emilia Apennines. It takes place in Cerrè Marabino, a small hamlet in the Municipality of Toano, in the province of Reggio Emilia, perched between 600 and 800 metres above sea level on a ridge surrounded by two streams. Here, the inhabitants have always been called cereliani, and it is to them that the tortello, the star of the festival, owes its name.

The Tortello Cereliano

The tortello cereliano is a mountain tortello with a simple and honest filling: herbs, ricotta, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Its strength lies in the skill of the local women ('azdore') and village volunteers, who prepare thousands for each edition. At the table, it is offered in several sauce variations, from the classic butter and sage to richer versions conceived by the organising association. For years, the 'Il Verabolino' Association has been working to obtain an origin designation to protect this Apennine specialty.

Where and When

The event is scheduled for the last weekend of July. The heart of the festival is the churchyard of San Prospero, where a spacious marquee is set up to accommodate up to 400 people, sheltered from the sun and the cool mountain evenings. The adjacent sports field houses the children's area, stalls, and the dance floor.

Music and Atmosphere

The festival is not just about food: two evenings of music and ballroom dancing accompany the dinners, with DJs and orchestras from the Romagna and Emilia tradition getting young and old dancing under the Apennine stars. It is a community celebration, animated by over a hundred volunteers—young and old working together—whose proceeds, in recent years, have contributed to the restoration of the village church and rectory.

A Piece of the Reggio Emilia Apennines

The fruit of the work of the 'Il Verabolino' Cultural Association - Pro Loco Cerrè Marabino, founded in 2005, the Cerrè Marabino Tortello Festival is the perfect opportunity to discover an authentic corner of the Reggio Emilia mountains, far from the tourist trails, where the table remains the best way to tell the story of a territory and its people.