San Giovanni Festival in Sabbia

A festival that celebrates community

In the heart of the Val Mastallone, one of the most picturesque valleys in Valsesia, the village of Sabbia belongs to the municipality of Cravagliana, in the Province of Vercelli (Piedmont). Here, every year in June, the community gathers for the San Giovanni Festival, an event that intertwines devotion to Saint John the Baptist with the tradition of a village lunch.

It is not a postcard-perfect major event, but something rarer: an authentic gathering that holds a small mountain village together. As the organizers describe it, the festival is first and foremost a "community reunion," an act of love for their land that preserves the customs and memories of the past.

The day's program

The festival opens with Holy Mass celebrated in the church of San Giovanni, the spiritual heart of the village. Immediately after, it is time for the community lunch, prepared and served by the Pro Loco of Sabbia, which brings residents, friends, and visitors together at the table in a family atmosphere.

The menu features genuine, hearty valley cuisine: cold cuts, caprese salad, Russian salad, gnocchi served with meat sauce or butter and sage, roast veal with seasonal side dishes, local cheeses like toma or gorgonzola, and for dessert, strawberries with ice cream, all accompanied by water, wine, and coffee. For those who cannot stay, a takeaway service is also available.

Sabbia and the Val Mastallone

Sabbia is a village that speaks, as they say around here, "the noblest language: that of the community." The village is also deeply linked to the folk traditions of the Val Mastallone, starting with the valley's traditional costumes, an expression of a cultural heritage that continues to be passed down in Cravagliana and Sabbia.

Participating in the San Giovanni Festival means connecting with the most authentic side of Valsesia, far from mass tourism circuits, where the shared lunch remains a ritual that smells of wood and history.

How to participate

The lunch takes place at the Pro Loco headquarters and requires mandatory reservation. As this is a limited-capacity event with a strong community focus, it is recommended to book a few days in advance by calling the number provided by the Pro Loco of Sabbia.