San Martino Festival – The Tavern in the Square

The San Martino Festival in Villarosa

Every year, around November 11th, the small town of Villarosa, in the province of Enna, celebrates one of the most cherished events in the Sicilian agricultural calendar: the San Martino Festival, known to all as The Tavern in the Square. For one day, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele turns into a massive open-air inn—a true 'nna putìa do vinu—where the community gathers to share food, wine, and music.

The tavern in the square

As afternoon turns to evening, the food stalls come alive, and the entire square becomes one long, communal table. This is the essence of St. Martin's Summer, that brief spell of autumn warmth traditionally associated with opening the barrels and tasting the new wine. As the old saying goes, "at St. Martin's, every must becomes wine."

Traditional flavors

The absolute star is simple, generous Sicilian folk cuisine. Specialties to enjoy at the stalls include:

• Porchetta, roasted and sliced on the spot;
• Cieci (chickpeas) and fava beans, prepared according to age-old recipes;
• Cudduruni, fried dough, golden and crispy;
• Sfingi, the classic sweet fritters of the festival;
• Warm bread, local products, and, of course, the new wine from the recently concluded harvest.

Music, folklore, and Sicilian carts

Beyond the food, the festival offers a rich entertainment program: live folk music, singing, traditional dances, classic games, and the evocative parade of richly decorated Sicilian carts, a symbol of the island's identity. The atmosphere captivates both young and old in a celebration that weaves together religious devotion to St. Martin and the memory of peasant civilization.

Villarosa and its territory

Nestled in the hills of the Enna hinterland, Villarosa is a village with a strong rural and mining heritage. It is home to the Mining Art and Peasant Civilization Train Museum and the ancient sulfur mines that shaped the town's history. The San Martino Festival is the perfect opportunity to discover this authentic corner of inland Sicily, far from the usual tourist routes, where gastronomic and popular traditions are still lived with sincere passion.