Sbigolada of Castellano (Castellano Carnival)

The Sbigolada of Castellano

The Sbigolada of Castellano is one of the most beloved and well-known carnival festivals in the Vallagarina valley. It takes place in Castellano, a small village in the Municipality of Villa Lagarina, perched at an altitude of about 789 meters on the left bank of the Adige river, in the province of Trento, in the heart of Trentino-Alto Adige. The name of the event comes from bigoi (the typical homemade spaghetti) which are cooked and distributed for free to the community and visitors: hence the "sbigolada", meaning the great community distribution of bigoi.

A popular carnival tradition

The festival has its roots in the rural tradition of the post-war period, when on the second-to-last Sunday of carnival, the entire village would gather in the square to cook large quantities of bigoi seasoned with meat sauce and served freely along with a good glass of wine. Since then, the Sbigolada has been repeated every year, keeping its convivial and supportive character intact: the food is still offered for free today as a sign of hospitality and community belonging.

The flavors of the festival

The signature dish is bigoi with meat sauce and sardines, but the gastronomic day also offers other specialties of Trentino cuisine:

• Bigoi with meat sauce, spaghetti seasoned with the classic meat ragù;
• Bigoi with sardines, the meat-free variant with sardines;
• Sarde fortaie and other traditional fried foods;
• Arrosticini and specialties cooked on the spot.

Masks and joy

The Sbigolada is not just about gastronomy: the festival comes alive with face painting and the costume parade, where local children march in their outfits amidst music, colors, and joy. It is a day designed for families, immersed in the genuine atmosphere of the mountain villages of the Vallagarina valley.

Castellano and its castle

The setting for the festival is the small village of Castellano, dominated by the evocative Castle of Castellano, with its Romanesque tower of medieval origin, an ancient fiefdom of the Lodron family. Visiting the Sbigolada is also an opportunity to discover an authentic corner of Trentino, far from the major tourist flows, and to experience carnival as it was once lived: in the square, all together, around a steaming plate of bigoi.