Sant'Agata Festival of August 17th

A devotion born from the sea

In Alì, a small town on the Ionian coast in the province of Messina, Saint Agatha is venerated twice a year: on February 5th, with the winter patronal feast, and on August 17th, with the commemoration of the translation of the relics. It is this latter event that gives the village its unique identity. Tradition holds that in 1126, while the martyr's relics were being transported from Constantinople to Catania, the ship stopped at the Alì marina. The inhabitants saw this as a divine sign, and the relic keepers, moved by their devotion, gifted the village a portion of the veil and a relic of the Saint, who was immediately proclaimed patroness.

The day of August 17th

The recurrence begins in the morning with the sound of the brass band parading through the town center and traditional blank shots. Holy Masses are celebrated in the Cathedral, with a solemn liturgy around noon. In the afternoon, the most anticipated moment takes place: the procession of the statue of Saint Agatha and the precious reliquary through the streets of Alì Superiore, followed by a pontifical mass upon their return. In the evening, the celebration turns secular with a concert and a fireworks display to close the day.

The summer program in Piazza Duomo

In recent years, the Municipality of Alì has complemented religious rites with a musical program that brings prominent names in Italian pop music to Piazza Duomo, the heart of the village. The evening of August 17th has thus become a major draw for the entire Ionian area of Messina, successfully uniting the spiritual dimension of the feast with the popular and convivial atmosphere of a village festival.

A village to discover

Visiting Alì on August 17th means stepping into a small town in the province of Messina where faith, historical memory, and community life merge into a single day. It is the perfect opportunity to discover a lesser-known corner of Sicily, nestled between the slopes of the Peloritani mountains and the Ionian Sea, and to experience an authentic festival far from mass tourism circuits.