Le Guaite del Gusto

A festival born from the ancient Guaite of Visso

Le Guaite del Gusto is the summer food and wine event of the Municipality of Visso, in the Province of Macerata, in the heart of the Sibillini Mountains National Park. The name refers to the five Guaite, the historic districts into which the free commune of Visso has been divided since the Middle Ages: Guaita Plebis (the historic centre), Guaita Uxitae, Guaita Montana, Guaita Villae, and Guaita Pagese of the border hamlets. Each Guaita had its own Prior and participated in the town assembly: a legacy of identity that still lives on today in the famous re-enactment of the Torneo delle Guaite and gives its name to this new festival dedicated to the flavours of the territory.

Visso, the pearl of the Sibillini

Part of the Club of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy and awarded the Orange Flag by the Touring Club, Visso is one of the symbolic centres of the Marche inland mountain areas. Severely affected by the 2016 earthquake, the village is experiencing a rebirth, of which Le Guaite del Gusto aims to be an expression: as stated by the mayor Rosella Sensi, the administration is working to create a summer event capable of restoring Visso to its rightful role as a protagonist of the mountains.

The Sibillini flavour palette

At the heart of the event are the typical products of Visso and the upper Nera valley, which the organisers have defined as "the flavour palette":

• Sopravissana sheep ricotta, from the ancient native breed of the Sibillini
• Ciauscolo, the soft, spreadable salami that is a symbol of the Marche region
• Prized black truffle, an excellence from the Apennine woods
• Smoked trout from the waters of the Nera river
• Bread and crescia baked in a wood-fired oven
• High-altitude wine from the hamlet of Cupi

The Grand Tour delle Marche

Le Guaite del Gusto is one of the stops on the thirteenth edition of the Grand Tour delle Marche, the circuit promoted by Tipicità and ANCI Marche which, from May to November 2026, enlivens dozens of villages in the region with festivals, tastings, and experiential itineraries. A network project among municipalities designed to promote typical products, encourage slow and local tourism, and showcase the most authentic identity of the Marche, far from the more crowded destinations on the Adriatic coast.