Sagre dai Cais - Festa delle Lumache

Snails, a humble dish that became a symbol

In Turrida, a small hamlet in the municipality of Sedegliano in the province of Udine, one of Friuli's most characteristic gastronomic traditions has been celebrated for over forty years: the Sagre dai Cais, the snail festival. The cais, as snails are called in Friulian, were once a humble food that fed the farming families of the plain; today, they have become the symbol of a festival that in 2026 reaches its 43rd edition.

Four weekends along the Tagliamento

The festival takes place over four weekends in June in a large park overlooking the riverbed of the Tagliamento, the river that shapes the landscape of this part of Medio Friuli. Snails are served according to the traditional recipe, stewed with aromatic herbs and vegetables accompanied by polenta, but also in the international à la bourguignonne variation. Alongside the cais, the kitchen offers crots (frogs), spit-roasted chicken, sausage, frico, local cheeses, and mushrooms, all washed down with Friulian wines and beer.

Music, engines, and nature

The evenings of the Sagre dai Cais are enlivened by aperitifs, DJ sets, dancing evenings, and concerts, with exhibitors of artisanal and local products. Among the most anticipated events are the motorcycle rally organized by the Free Rider's Spirits Moto Club, which attracts two-wheel enthusiasts every year, and the non-competitive walk A pas di Cai, which takes participants to discover the paths along the river. There is also an area for children with inflatables and pony rides, and a charity raffle.

Turrida and Medio Friuli

The festival is organized by the Pro Loco of Turrida with the support of the Municipality of Sedegliano and the work of dozens of volunteers. Sedegliano is a municipality in the plain of Medio Friuli, a land of ancient parish churches, neat countryside, and the great course of the Tagliamento, considered one of the few Alpine rivers in Europe still with a natural morphology: a context that makes the Sagre dai Cais much more than just a gastronomic festival.