San Cono Prickly Pear Festival

The festival celebrating the San Cono «bastardone»

The San Cono Prickly Pear Festival is one of the most beloved food and wine events in the Calatino area, in the heart of the Sicily province of Catania. Every autumn, the town of San Cono—considered the Sicilian capital of the prickly pear—dedicates a weekend to the fruit that has represented the local economy and identity for generations.

The PDO prickly pear and the «bastardone» nickname

The undisputed star is the San Cono PDO Prickly Pear, which received Protected Designation of Origin status in 2003. Locally, the fruit from the second flowering, which is larger and sweeter, is affectionately called «bastardone»: it is the true king of the festival. Prickly pear cultivation defines the entire municipal territory, and the event celebrates its quality, history, and potential for culinary innovation.

A culinary trail in Piazza Gramsci

The town center, particularly Piazza Antonio Gramsci, comes alive with a vast food and wine trail. Visitors can savor gourmet dishes made with prickly pears, grilled meats, pizza, traditional desserts, and craft prickly pear beers. There is also the «Four Seeds of Taste» tourist route, curated by the local Pro Loco, which guides the public through the local cultural and gastronomic heritage.

The International Prickly Pear Festival

In recent years, the festival has been joined by the International Prickly Pear Festival, which enriches the event with talks, masterclasses, and guided tastings led by journalists, experts, and university professors. Show cooking by renowned chefs, in-depth discussions on the economic prospects of the crop, and evening entertainment complete a program designed for families, food enthusiasts, and tourists.

San Cono, a village in the Calatino

Nestled among the hills on the border between the provinces of Catania, Caltanissetta, and Enna, San Cono is a small village in inland Sicily where farming traditions coexist with the promotion of an excellent local product. The festival, with free admission, is the perfect opportunity to discover this authentic corner of the island during the prickly pear harvest season.