Palio di San Lorenzo

San Lorenzo and the Palio della Pastasciutta

In Pozzolengo, a municipality in the province of Brescia in the morainic hinterland of southern Garda, the patron saint's festival of San Lorenzo (August 10th) is much more than a religious observance: it is the day of the Palio della Pastasciutta, one of the most original and cherished gastronomic competitions in the Garda area of Lombardy. Born 28 editions ago from an idea by Gabriele Tosi, the palio has become the symbol of Pozzolengo's summer.

The competing districts

The protagonists of the challenge are the districts of Pozzolengo: Monte Olivi, De là de la Fossa, San Giacomo, Castello, Cerini, Ponte Cantone, Mercato Vecchio, Polada, and Centro. Each district fields its own cooks, who jealously guard the secret recipe for their pasta sauce. In the kitchens of the sports field, work goes on for hours, preparing impressive quantities of pasta: in the best years, ten thousand plates are served.

The competition and the jury

A jury of gastronomic experts decrees the winner, while the public rewards the districts by tasting the different sauces. Over the years, Monte Olivi and De là de la Fossa have repeatedly topped the roll of honor, but each edition reopens the challenge and ignites local pride among the town's neighborhoods.

Tradition and community

The day of August 10th opens with the Holy Mass in the parish church, in the presence of the district representatives, and then moves to the competition grounds. The Palio di San Lorenzo is an event that combines devotion, conviviality, and territorial identity, making Pozzolengo, in Lombardy, a reference point for lovers of authentic village festivals.