Saint Martin's Summer

The peasant festival of Bolognese autumn

Saint Martin's Summer is the autumn event of Sala Bolognese, a town in the plain about twenty kilometres from Bologna, in the heart of the Metropolitan City. Linked to the feast day of Saint Martin on November 11th, the festival evokes the ancient rural world: the season when one tastes new wine, harvests chestnuts, and celebrates the transition from autumn to winter. It is the typical "Saint Martin's summer," that brief return of mild weather that popular tradition has transformed into an occasion for conviviality.

Where it takes place

The heart of the event is the Barchessa and the Park of Villa Terracini, in the hamlet of Osteria Nuova, one of the historic villas in the area. Outdoor activities extend to the Dosolo Flood Expansion Area, the ecological balancing area of Padulle which also houses the Water Ecomuseum, where trekking routes wind through meadows, fields, woods, and wetlands. The festival thus involves the entire territory of Sala Bolognese and its hamlets — Padulle, Osteria Nuova, Bagno di Piano — in the Province of Bologna.

What to expect

The programme alternates between taste, nature, and workshops. The food stalls offer traditional Emilian autumn dishes: polenta with ragù, filled crescentine, grandmother's raviole, pumpkin-based products, roasted chestnuts, and mulled wine. Alongside the food, there are craft demonstrations (wood carving, pyrography, wickerwork, from milk processing to cheese making), a mycological exhibition, a display of vintage tractors, and foliage tours among the autumn colours.

• Food stalls with typical autumn dishes and traditional sweets
• Guided treks in the Dosolo Flood Expansion Area
• Craft workshops and live demonstrations
• Activities and workshops for children
• Street music and entertainment

An event for families

Saint Martin's Summer is designed primarily for families: a treasure hunt for the little ones, cooking workshops, a blessing of the animals, and the cheerfulness of street bands make the day an occasion for an authentic village festival. Admission is free, with paid tastings, following the established formula of the Pro Loco Sala Bolognese, active since 1981 in promoting local traditions.