Saint Joseph Festival in Portis

Portis's Spring

When the Carnia fields turn green at the end of March, the small hamlet of Portis di Venzone celebrates its Saint Joseph Festival. It is a community celebration that intertwines devotion, gastronomic tradition, and village life, and for decades has drawn residents and visitors from neighboring towns to the alleys of Portis.

From the Via Crucis to the Food Stalls

The event opens on Friday evening with the evocative Via Crucis in Portis Vecchio, the historic core marked by the 1976 earthquake, in a path of light and reflection. Sunday is dedicated to the celebration: the opening of the food stalls, the performance of the Venzone Concert Band with the Majorettes, and in Piazza Spanò, the Trophy Exhibition set up by the Portis Hunting Reserve, displaying game taken during the hunting season.

The Lidric cul poc, King of the Table

The true protagonist, however, remains the typical dish: the lidric cul poc e ûs dûrs, field radicchio seasoned with hot pancetta and served with hard-boiled eggs, a simple yet fragrant specialty of the Friulian spring tradition. Alongside it, the stalls offer frico, cheese, salami, polenta, beans, and muset, in a menu that tells the story of Carnia's peasant soul.

A Village Gathering

Organized by the community of Portis with the support of the Municipality of Venzone, the festival is much more than a gastronomic event: it is the moment when the hamlet comes together, between faith, music, and good food, to celebrate Saint Joseph and the beginning of the beautiful season.