Patronal Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua

The most heartfelt feast in Poggioreale

In the heart of the Belìce Valley, in the province of Trapani, the small town of Poggioreale experiences its most anticipated moment every year with the Patronal Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua. Celebrated around June 13th, the saint's liturgical day, it is a feast deeply rooted in the community's identity: for the people of Poggioreale, it represents not only a devotional appointment but a true collective reunion that draws numerous emigrants back to town, many of whom return from abroad specifically for the occasion.

Two days of faith and tradition

The festivities unfold over two intense days, June 12th and 13th, blending religious celebrations, musical performances, and folk traditions. Spiritual preparation is entrusted to the Tredicina of Saint Anthony, with daily rosaries and Holy Masses in the weeks leading up to the feast, while the main days are marked by the local brass band parading through the town, solemn Holy Masses, and evening entertainment.

The procession of the Patron Saint

The heart of the feast is the solemn procession on June 13th, which departs from the parvis of the Mother Church and slowly traverses the streets of Poggioreale until late at night. The procession features the triumphant display of an extraordinary cypress wood sculpture depicting Saint Anthony of Padua with the Baby Jesus, a work from 1890 by the Palermo sculptor Vincenzo Genovese, which has been recently restored. The statue of the Saint is accompanied by lines of faithful whose devotion makes the atmosphere even more evocative and mystical, turning the town streets into an open-air stage for an ancient folk tradition.

Sounds, colors, and devotion

The days are accompanied by the parades of the "S. Antonio da Padova" brass band of Poggioreale and the characteristic Tammurinari di Corleone, while the morning of June 13th traditionally opens with the "scampaniata" (bell ringing) and the firing of the alborata (morning fireworks). The final day concludes with fireworks that illuminate the sky above the town. The feast is organized by the Sant'Antonio da Padova Association together with the Maria SS. Immacolata Parish, with the patronage of the Municipality of Poggioreale.

A bond that crosses the sea

Poggioreale, in western Sicily, still bears the scars of the 1968 earthquake that destroyed the old town—now an evocative ghost town—and marked the reconstruction of the new town in the valley. For this reason, the Feast of Saint Anthony takes on a special identity value: it is the thread that binds the community scattered around the world to its roots, an event where faith becomes a shared memory.