Sant'Anna Fredda Festival
The ancient winter votive festival of Menà di Castagnaro, since 1920
About Sant'Anna Fredda Festival
A Centenarian Votive Festival
In the heart of winter, when the plain of the Bassa Veronese is shrouded in fog and frost, the hamlet of Menà di Castagnaro lights up for the Sant'Anna Fredda Festival. It is one of the oldest votive feasts in the area, celebrated since 1920: the name "fredda" (cold) refers precisely to its winter timing, in January, in contrast to the summer Sant'Anna feast on July 26th.
The Peasant Tradition Table
The heart of the festival is the gastronomic stand, which offers the symbolic dishes of the area's simple and genuine cuisine: egg bigoli with sardines, beef in broth, cotechino, pickled tongue with pearà, sausage and pancetta with polenta. It is the living memory of a rural community that gathers around the table during the coldest days of the year, amidst dancing evenings and live music.
Tradition, Faith, and Volunteering
The event is organized by the Circolo NOI, the Parish, and the AVIS of Menà, with the support of the Municipality of Castagnaro, in the province of Verona. Over a hundred years after the first edition, the Sant'Anna Fredda Festival remains an identity event, capable of intertwining religious devotion with the conviviality and volunteering that animate this small town in the Polesine-Veronese area.
Sant'Anna Fredda Festival — edition 2026
The Sant'Anna Fredda Festival 2026 animated the hamlet of Menà di Castagnaro from January 9th to 13th. Every evening from 7:30 PM, the gastronomic stand offered different specialties of traditional Venetian peasant cuisine — egg bigoli with sardines, beef in broth, cotechino, pickled tongue with pearà, sausage and pancetta with polenta — accompanied by dancing evenings. On Sunday, January 11th, the traditional Sant'Anna lunch took place, by reservation. The event is organized by Circolo NOI, the Parish, and AVIS of Menà with the Municipality of Castagnaro.
Programme Sant'Anna Fredda Festival 2026
Friday, January 9th
- From 7:30 PM — Opening of the gastronomic stand with traditional specialties and musical evening
Saturday, January 10th
- From 7:30 PM — Gastronomic stand and dancing evening
Sunday, January 11th
- Sant'Anna Lunch by reservation (reservations by January 9th)
- Evening — Gastronomic stand and dancing
Monday, January 12th
- From 7:30 PM — Gastronomic stand and musical evening
Tuesday, January 13th
- From 7:30 PM — Closing evening with gastronomic stand
Menu with different specialties each evening: egg bigoli with sardines, beef in broth, cotechino, pickled tongue with pearà, sausage and pancetta with polenta.
Highlights Sant'Anna Fredda Festival 2026
Prices Sant'Anna Fredda Festival 2026
Practical information — Sant'Anna Fredda Festival
How to get there
Menà is a hamlet of Castagnaro, in the southernmost part of the province of Verona, bordering Polesine. By car, take the SS434 Transpolesana, exit towards Castagnaro/Menà. The nearest train stations are Legnago and Badia Polesine, followed by a car journey.
Admission and dining
Free admission. Gastronomic stand open in the evenings from 7:30 PM; for the Sunday Sant'Anna lunch, advance booking is required. Each evening features different gastronomic specialties.
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Where does it take place — Sant'Anna Fredda Festival
Frazione Menà di Castagnaro
Menà, 37043 Castagnaro