Polenta and Sausage Festival (Feast of Saint Anthony the Abbot)

A tradition renewed since 1911

In Supino, a village in the Lepini Mountains in the province of Frosinone, the Polenta and Sausage Festival is much more than a gastronomic event: it is one of the oldest and most deeply felt collective rituals in the town. Since 1911, every year, during the celebrations in honor of Saint Anthony the Abbot, fires are lit in the square in front of the church of San Nicola, and the callari—the large copper cauldrons of local tradition—are set up to cook the yellow cornmeal polenta. Once, white flour was also used; today, corn polenta remains the absolute star of a day that brings together locals, returning emigrants, and visitors from all over Ciociaria.

Saint Anthony the Abbot and the polenta ritual

The festival falls on the Sunday following January 17th, the day the Church celebrates Saint Anthony the Abbot, protector of animals and patron saint of the farming world. In Ciociaria, the saint of fire and the countryside is traditionally honored with so-called polentate: alongside Supino, Morolo, Torrice, and Arpino also keep alive the custom of cooking and distributing polenta in the square. In Supino, however, the ritual has its own unique character: the polenta is first blessed and only then shared among those present, in a gesture that intertwines popular devotion and village conviviality.

The preparation: the callari in Piazza San Nicola

From the morning, the square transforms into a large open-air kitchen. Seventeen copper pots—called callari in the local dialect—are arranged in a circle over the fires: in some, the polenta cooks, prepared with about two hundred kilograms of yellow cornmeal, while in others, the sauce with sausages simmers. The cooking, slow and supervised by the most experienced 'polentari', goes on for hours, while the scent of corn and sauce spreads through the alleys of the historic center. Participants are also given panicella, the traditional Supino corn bread.

The blessing and distribution

Around noon, the parish priest blesses the polenta in front of the church of San Nicola; immediately after, the distribution begins: abundant, hot, and steaming, seasoned with the excellent sauce and accompanied by a tasty sausage—the polenta e zazzicchie of the local parlance. The dish is enjoyed in the square, amidst songs, chatter, and toasts with local hill wine, in a festive atmosphere that involves all generations. In case of rain, the festival is traditionally postponed to the following Sunday.

Supino, a village in the Lepini Mountains

The Municipality of Supino, in the province of Frosinone, in southern Lazio, rises on the slopes of the Lepini Mountains and is known for its springs, the sanctuary of San Cataldo, and a calendar of popular festivals that marks the entire year: from Carnival to the Living Passion, from the Cheese Festival in July to the feast of Saint Lawrence in August. The January polenta feast opens this festive cycle and is organized with the support of the Pro Loco Supino, local associations, and committees.

Why participate

The Polenta and Sausage Festival of Supino is an authentic opportunity to experience Ciociaria in winter: no tourist staging, but a centuries-old community ritual, a humble dish that has become a symbol of identity, and genuine hospitality. Those who arrive in the square at noon find an entire town gathered around the steaming cauldrons: it is hard to imagine a more authentic way to discover the popular traditions of Lazio.