Sagra di Santa Marta

A village festival in the heart of the Bassa Padovana

The Sagra di Santa Marta is the most anticipated summer event in Ponso, a municipality of a few thousand inhabitants in the province of Padova, in the agricultural plain of the Bassa Padovana. It takes place between the end of July and the first days of August in Piazza 25 Aprile, transformed for the occasion into the town's open-air living room.

Tradition, flavours, and community

The heart of the sagra is the food stand, where volunteers serve the most authentic Venetian cuisine: 'musso' (donkey meat), 'bigoli con le sardele' (pasta with sardines), grilled meat, and polenta. The evenings are enlivened by dancing, live concerts, and DJ sets, while the luna park and the charity raffle entertain families and children. There are also tournaments and a market selling local products.

A festival made by volunteers

The event is made possible by the commitment of volunteers from the Parrocchia di Santa Marta (Parish of Saint Martha), the Circolo Noi (a Catholic youth association), and the Pro Loco of Ponso, with the support of the Municipality. It's the perfect example of a Venetian patronal festival: no tourist pretensions, but an authentic occasion for the community to gather, which also attracts neighbouring towns every year. The festival concludes with the fireworks display, an unmissable moment of the festivals in the Venetian plain.