Cultivating Culture - National Agriculture Day

Cultivating Culture in Caporciano

In the heart of the Navelli Plateau, the municipality of Caporciano, in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, hosts the local leg of Cultivating Culture - National Agriculture Day every autumn, a national event promoted by the Italian Historic Houses Association (ADSI). The event takes place at Palazzo D'Alessandro, a historic residence overlooking the village center, and is organized by the Associazione Tratturo Magno 101 A.P.S. with the support of the Fondazione CarispAQ, as part of an experiential tourism project.

Agriculture, Heritage, and Rural Community

National Agriculture Day was created to celebrate the deep bond between agriculture, territory, and culture, highlighting how ancient historic homes now serve as guardians of rural communities and engines of sustainable development for small towns. In Caporciano, this narrative comes to life with a free-entry event that weaves together food and wine, folk traditions, and the promotion of inland Abruzzo's heritage.

The Producers' Market

The heart of the event is the local producers' market, set up within the palace and the village. Among the stalls, you will find the region's finest products: Navelli Plain saffron and its liqueur, honey, cheeses, cured meats, bread, organic extra virgin olive oil, craft beers, herbal teas, spirits, and natural soaps. There is also a focus on craftsmanship, featuring traditional ceramics and iron molds for making ferratelle.

Tours, Workshops, and Tastings

The day includes guided tours of Palazzo D'Alessandro with multimedia projections, a storytelling session dedicated to the castles of Abruzzo, and the opening of the village churches, including San Benedetto Abate, San Pietro in Valle, and Santa Maria dei Cinturelli. There is plenty of room for experiential workshops: learning to make ferratelle (traditional Abruzzese waffles), a brass rubbing workshop, and guided honey tastings, alongside samplings of local specialties.

A Village Along the Sheep Tracks

Caporciano lies along the ancient transhumance routes of the Tratturo Magno, in a high-altitude landscape between L'Aquila and the Navelli basin. The event is a perfect opportunity to discover an authentic corner of the Abruzzo Apennines, its flavors, and its agricultural traditions on one of the most evocative Sundays of autumn.