Must Festival (Grape Must Feast)

A festival born from the grape harvest

The Must Festival, also known as the Grape Must Feast, is one of the most cherished autumn events in Rosolini, a town in the province of Syracuse, Sicily. The event celebrates the grape harvest rituals and the peasant culture of the Iblean territory, bringing back to the town square the flavors and gestures linked to the processing of grape must and cooked wine, the raw materials of a long local confectionery tradition.

Traditional sweets

The heart of the festival is the tasting of typical products prepared with grape must and cooked wine. Among the specialties that enliven the stalls are:

• Mucatoli and mustaccioli, spiced sweets of the Iblean tradition;
• Mostata, both hot and dry, obtained from cooking the grape must;
• Purcidduzzi and crispelle, sweet fritters prepared live;
• Cuccia and mpanatigghi, biscuits and sweets of ancient memory.

The preparations are often made live by volunteers, who show the public the processing stages, from the cooking of the must to the frying of the sweets.

Between Piazza Garibaldi and Corso Savoia

The event takes place in the town center of Rosolini, with Piazza Garibaldi as the hub and the entire stretch of Corso Savoia animated by stalls, music, and shows. In recent editions, the event has been promoted by the municipal administration of Rosolini together with the local Misericordia, with the stated goal of recovering and enhancing the town's peasant traditions.

Music, dance, and folklore

In addition to tastings, the festival offers performances by local dance schools, concerts, choirs, and entertainment moments that accompany the evenings. The formula thus combines the gastronomic enhancement of typical products with popular entertainment, in a festive atmosphere that involves families, visitors, and curious onlookers.

An autumn appointment in the Municipality of Rosolini

Included in the autumn calendar of the Municipality of Rosolini, the Must Festival represents an opportunity to discover the gastronomic identity of the Iblean area and to experience the convivial atmosphere of a small town in the province of Syracuse during the grape harvest period.