Festival of Saint Charles in Xino

Saint Charles in Xino, festival of the Bergamo mountains

The Festival of Saint Charles takes place every year at the beginning of November in the hamlet of Xino, a small part of the Municipality of Fonteno, in the province of Bergamo, on the heights overlooking Lake Iseo. Dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo, the Archbishop of Milan canonized and deeply venerated throughout Lombardy, the festival combines the devotional dimension with the convivial one, offering the community a moment of celebration in the heart of autumn.

Flavours of autumn

The charm of the festival lies in its genuine flavours, perfect for cold November evenings. The stalls offer bread and strinù (bread and lard), roast pork, melted cheeses, polenta with gorgonzola, and tripe, while among the desserts, roasted chestnuts, pastries, and mulled wine stand out. A market of typical and artisanal products accompanies the feast, highlighting the excellences of the Orobic territory.

Devotion and popular festival

Alongside the table, the festival retains its religious heart. Sunday is dedicated to the solemn Mass and the procession with the statue of Saint Charles Borromeo through the streets of the hamlet. The evenings are enlivened by tombola games, itinerant concerts, and, weather permitting, fireworks displays. It is the typical combination of Bergamo's patronal festivals, where faith, tradition, and sociality intertwine naturally.

Xino, a village suspended over the Sebino

Xino is a small hamlet of Fonteno, nestled on the plateau overlooking Lake Iseo. The Festival of Saint Charles is an opportunity to discover this secluded corner of the Bergamo mountains, where the community proudly preserves its traditions. Those who visit the Bergamo Sebino in autumn will find an authentic experience here, made of real flavours, popular devotion, and landscapes of rare beauty.