Comasine Festival (Saint Lucy Festival)

A patronal feast in the heart of Val di Peio

The Comasine Festival, also known as the Saint Lucy Festival, is the patronal feast of the small village of Comasine, a mountain hamlet belonging to the Municipality of Peio, in the province of Trento and the Trentino-Alto Adige region. Perched at an altitude of approximately 1,200 meters in the Val di Peio, a side valley of the Val di Sole, Comasine has about a hundred inhabitants and retains the atmosphere of an alpine village once tied to agriculture, livestock, and iron mining.

Saint Lucy, patron saint of the village

Saint Lucy is the patron saint of the village, and her liturgical feast falls on December 13. By tradition, however, the community of Comasine celebrates her with solemnity on the second Sunday of August. This summer timing allows not only the village residents to gather but also the many emigrants who return home for the summer to participate in the festivities. The Church of Saint Lucy, documented since the 15th century and located on a small isolated ridge, houses a reliquary donated in the 18th century by Friar Bernardo da Comasine, a Capuchin friar native to the village.

The procession and tradition

The most heartfelt moment of the festival is the solemn procession: the statue of the Saint is carried through the streets of the village on the shoulders of the local youths, accompanied by flag-waving, the Val di Peio Band, and the valley choir. At the end of the celebrations, the faithful maintain the custom of kissing the relic of Saint Lucy, who is also venerated as the protector of sight and, in this ancient mining village, of the miners themselves.

Village festival and conviviality

Beyond its religious dimension, the Comasine Festival is a lively village festival that brings the entire weekend to life. The traditional program includes a typical lunch at noon, mass and the procession in the afternoon, a traditional dinner in the evening, and the unmissable dance evenings with live music and a lottery draw. It is an authentic opportunity to discover the mountain cuisine of the Val di Sole and the popular traditions of Trentino, far from the major tourist circuits.

An identity-defining event

Organized by the local community with the Giacomo Matteotti Circle of Comasine, the festival represents a defining appointment for the entire Val di Peio: a blend of faith, memory, and celebration that renews the bond between the inhabitants and their village, and their patron saint, every summer.