Rassegna Gastronomica della Zucca Berrettina

The pumpkin that became the symbol of a town

The Rassegna Gastronomica della Zucca Berrettina is the festival with which every autumn Lungavilla, a small town in the Oltrepò Pavese region of Pavia, celebrates its most characteristic vegetable. The zucca berrettina, known in dialect as "capé da prèvi" (priest's hat) due to its shape vaguely resembling an ecclesiastical headdress, is considered the town's symbolic vegetable.

A rediscovered tradition

The history of this festival is also a story of rediscovery. In 2007, the Municipality and various local volunteer organizations joined forces to revive the annual festival: since then, the cultivation of the berrettina pumpkin has regained momentum, and every year many specimens are sold during the sagra (food festival), testifying to a renewed bond between the community and its agricultural tradition.

Flavors and conviviality

The heart of the event is the "A tutta zucca" lunch, where the vegetable takes center stage in a menu that highlights its versatility and flavor. Alongside the lunch, there is the zero-km market featuring local products, food stalls, and moments of folk music that liven up the town's streets, creating a popular and genuine festive atmosphere.

The identity of the Oltrepò Pavese

The festival, organized by the Pro Loco of Lungavilla with the support of the Municipality and local associations, is much more than a simple gastronomic celebration: it is an opportunity to showcase the rural identity of the Oltrepò Pavese, a land of typical products and peasant traditions. It is an event that combines taste, community, and memory in the heart of the province of Pavia.