Sagra di San Carlo a Xino

San Carlo in Xino, festival of the Bergamo mountains

The Sagra di San Carlo takes place every year at the beginning of November in the hamlet of Xino, a small community in the Municipality of Fonteno, in the province of Bergamo, on the heights overlooking Lake Iseo. Dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo, the Archbishop of Milan canonized and deeply venerated throughout Lombardy, the festival combines the devotional dimension with the convivial one, offering the community a moment of celebration in the heart of autumn.

Flavours of autumn

The charm of the festival lies in its genuine flavours, perfect for cold November evenings. The stalls offer pane e strinù (bread and lard), roast pork, melted cheeses, polenta with gorgonzola, and tripe, while among the desserts, roasted chestnuts, pastries, and mulled wine stand out. A market of local products and crafts accompanies the festival, enhancing the excellences of the Orobic territory.

Devotion and popular festival

Alongside the table, the festival retains its religious heart. Sunday is dedicated to solemn mass and the procession with the statue of Saint Charles Borromeo through the streets of the hamlet. The evenings are enlivened by tombola (bingo), itinerant concerts, and, weather permitting, fireworks. It is the typical combination of Bergamo's patron saint festivals, where faith, tradition, and socialising intertwine naturally.

Xino, a village suspended over Sebino

Xino is a small hamlet of Fonteno, nestled on the plateau overlooking Lake Iseo. The Sagra di San Carlo is an opportunity to discover this secluded corner of the Bergamo mountains, where the community proudly preserves its traditions. Those who visit the Bergamo side of Sebino in autumn will find an authentic experience here, made of real flavours, popular devotion, and landscapes of rare beauty.