Lentil Festival

The Lentil Festival of Santo Stefano di Sessanio

In the heart of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, the fortified village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, in the province of L'Aquila, hosts one of the most iconic festivals in inland Abruzzo every year. The Lentil Festival celebrates the tiny legume that has made this mountain corner famous: the Santo Stefano di Sessanio lentil, recognized as a Slow Food Presidium and a traditional Abruzzese agri-food product.

A product born at 1,500 meters

The lentils are grown on the Campo Imperatore plateaus, at altitudes between 1,150 and 1,600 meters, on marginal mountain land where chemical treatments are unnecessary. They are small, dark in color, do not require soaking, cook quickly, and remain intact after cooking: characteristics that make them a precious ingredient in Abruzzese pastoral cuisine, served in soups or as a condiment for sagne pasta. Their cultivation is rooted in a centuries-old tradition, documented in the L'Aquila area since the Middle Ages, when legumes were the "poor man's meat" for mountain communities.

Two days of celebration in the village

The festival traditionally takes place on the first weekend of September, when the harvest is ready. For two days, the streets and small squares of the village come alive with food stalls offering steaming soups, warm lentil salads, and other traditional dishes, as well as craft markets, local products, children's workshops, street performances, guided hikes on Gran Sasso trails, and folk music concerts in the evening. It is the perfect opportunity to discover one of Italy's most beautiful villages, carefully restored and now a model of widespread hospitality, set in an exceptional landscape.

Why it's worth it

More than just a simple food festival, the Lentil Festival tells the story of a territory: the Abruzzese mountains, shepherding, the biodiversity of Campo Imperatore, and the community of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, which protects a fragile and precious crop. Those who visit the village during the festival will find a blend of taste, culture, and scenery that is hard to forget, in the heart of the province of L'Aquila.