Pagnotta Festival

A festival dedicated to Easter bread

The Pagnotta Festival is the event that enlivens the historic center of Sarsina every spring, in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in the heart of Emilia-Romagna. Organized by Pro Loco Sarsina, the event takes place on the two Sundays preceding Easter and celebrates the pagnotta pasquale, one of the most characteristic and ancient sweets in the gastronomic tradition of the middle Savio valley.

The pagnotta pasquale, a sweet with ancient origins

The pagnotta is a soft and versatile leavened sweet bread, prepared with wheat flour, sugar or honey, lard, eggs, grated lemon zest, vanilla, and raisins. The dough undergoes three leavening periods in a warm environment before being scored with a cross, brushed with beaten egg, and baked. In the past, the pagnotta was identified with the Easter holiday itself: it graced the Easter breakfast table along with blessed eggs, cured meats, and Sangiovese wine, and also brightened the tables of the less fortunate. In Sarsina, it is baked by the town's ovens and pastry shops, which prepare large quantities during the festival to offer to visitors.

Among stalls, flavors, and contests

For two Sundays, the streets and squares of the historic center are filled with stalls offering gastronomic products and handicrafts. In Piazza Plauto and the surrounding streets, you can taste piadina, fried foods, and specialties of Romagna cuisine, while the Pro Loco's food stand offers "Stuzzico Dolce e Salato" (Savory and Sweet Nibbles). The heart of the festival, however, remains the pagnotta, the protagonist of two fun contests: the "Magna Pagnotta" Trophy, where you have to guess the weight of a large pagnotta to win a prize, and the homemade pagnotta contest, where the public votes for the best version prepared according to family recipes.

Culture and tradition in the city of Plautus

The festival is also an opportunity to discover Sarsina, the birthplace of the Latin playwright Titus Maccius Plautus and a Bandiera Arancione (Orange Flag) recipient from the Touring Club Italiano. During the festival days, free guided tours of the renowned National Archaeological Museum are scheduled, along with music from the town band, entertainment, and workshops for children. For those with dietary restrictions, the Pro Loco stand also offers gluten-free pagnotte. An event that intertwines taste, history, and the identity of a village in the Romagna Apennines.