Festa d'la Mundina (Mondina Festival)

A festival that tells the story of the rice fields

In Costanzana, a small town in the province of Vercelli nestled in the Bassa Vercellese, the Festa d'la Mundina (Mondina Festival) is much more than a summer fair: it is how the town keeps the memory of its farming identity alive. The name itself pays tribute to the mondine, the seasonal workers who for generations populated the rice fields of the Vercelli area, bent over the water to weed the rice. Reaching its 35th edition in 2026, the festival is organized by the Famija Custansaneisa Association and is one of the most popular and long-standing events of the summer in the Piedmontese rice plains.

When and where

The 2026 edition takes place from Friday, July 31 to Wednesday, August 5, for six consecutive evenings. The events are held in the town's large indoor festival area: a solution designed to leave nothing to chance and ensure dancing, shows, and dinner even in case of bad weather, which is typical of the hot August evenings on the plains.

Traditional Vercelli cuisine

The gastronomic heart of the festival is the indoor food stand, which offers the great classics of rice-field and Piedmontese cuisine every evening from 7:30 PM. The undisputed queen is panissa, the signature dish of Vercelli made with rice, beans, lard, pork rinds, and 'salam d'la duja' (salami preserved in fat), which originated right in the farmhouses among the rice fields. Alongside it, you will find agnolotti, salami preserved in fat, peppers in 'bagna cauda', tongue with green sauce, Piedmontese mixed fried platter, and more summery options like seafood linguine and grilled meat.

Music, dancing, and entertainment

Every evening is marked by live music: tradition calls for great ballroom orchestras that keep the dance floor busy until late at night, alternating with nights for younger crowds featuring DJ sets, discos, and themed parties. Among the most anticipated and characteristic events is the Mayors' Festival, where administrators from neighboring towns compete in singing performances, as well as the youth night. On one of the peak evenings, there is also a fireworks display over the plains.

A local event

The Mondina Festival is produced in collaboration with the Municipality of Costanzana and is part of the Borghi delle Vie d'Acqua (Waterways Villages) network, which promotes the towns of the rice-growing plains between Piedmont and Lombardy linked to the system of canals and irrigation ditches. Attending means experiencing an authentic piece of rural Piedmont, where conviviality, good food, and dancing remain the most sincere way to be together.