Festa della Patatata

Potatoes take centre stage in Monticelli Pavese

In the Bassa pavese, a land of fields and farmhouses, the village of Monticelli Pavese, in the Province of Pavia, dedicates a fair at the end of August to the most authentic peasant cuisine: the Festa della Patatata. Organised by the local Pro Loco (tourism board), the event celebrates the potato in all its forms, in a popular festive atmosphere.

Homemade gnocchi and roast potatoes

The heart of the festival is the typical potato-based cuisine: the absolute stars are the homemade gnocchi, prepared according to tradition, and roast potatoes, alongside other peasant dishes. The bar and restaurant service opens from 8:00 PM, with dinners filling the evenings with the aromas and flavours of the Pavia plain.

Music and ballroom dancing

The three evenings — typically Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — are enlivened by live music with prestigious ballroom orchestras. Ballroom dancing, a much-loved tradition in this part of Lombardy, transforms the festival area into a large open-air dance floor, in a true village fair atmosphere.

A late-summer celebration

The Festa della Patatata is the event that bids farewell to summer in Monticelli Pavese, bringing the community and visitors from neighbouring towns together around good food and music. A simple and convivial event, which preserves the peasant and gastronomic identity of the Bassa pavese, far from the major tourist flows.