Saint Paul the Apostle Feast — Patronal Festival of Solarino

The identity festival of Solarino

The Saint Paul the Apostle Feast is the most anticipated event of the year in Solarino, a town in the Province of Syracuse, nestled in the heart of the Iblei Mountains in Sicily. Celebrated every year on the first Sunday of August, the patronal festival unites faith, popular tradition, and the identity of an entire community—the sampalisi, as the inhabitants are still called today due to their deep bond with the Apostle of the Gentiles.

Saint Paul and Solarino

According to tradition, Saint Paul stopped in this territory in 61 AD during his journey from Cilicia to Rome. Near the current town center, in the locality of Cozzo Collura, the so-called Paoline sites are preserved: the Well of Saint Paul and the Grotto of Saint Paul, where popular devotion places the miracle of the water made to gush forth by the Apostle. The wooden statue of the saint, carved from wild pear wood, is kept in the 18th-century Mother Church that overlooks Piazza del Plebiscito.

The festival program

The festivities span an entire week and include numerous religious and civic moments:

• On the preceding Sunday, the lighting of the illuminations, Holy Mass at the Well of Saint Paul, and the procession transferring the statue to the Mother Church.
• During the week, liturgical celebrations and blessings with the relic of Saint Paul in the town streets.
• On the morning of the main day, the alborata (dawn wake-up) with cannon fire and festive bell ringing announces the day, accompanied by the brass band touring the center.
• At noon, after Mass, the first exit of the statue carried on the shoulders of devotees, with the traditional offering of newborns to the saint.
• In the afternoon, the solemn Mass with local authorities; in the evening, the procession of the statue placed on the triumphal float.

The grand finale

The day concludes in Piazza del Plebiscito, where a musical show entertains the crowd until the statue returns to the church, greeted by a spectacular fireworks display that illuminates the sky of Solarino. It is the most anticipated moment, where the entire community finds itself united in devotion and celebration.

A territory to discover

The festival is also an opportunity to discover Solarino and its surroundings, a land of citrus fruits, the prized Syracuse PGI lemon, and the Monti Iblei PDO extra virgin olive oil. Among the specialties to taste during the festival days are the pizzòlo and the scacciata, cornerstones of local cuisine.