Shortcrust Pastry Cake Festival

A Living Tradition Since 1969

The Shortcrust Pastry Cake Festival takes place in Pecorara, a charming hamlet in the municipality of Alta Val Tidone, in the province of Piacenza, in the heart of the Apennine Emilia-Romagna region. Founded in 1969, the festival has never missed an edition: over half a century of history makes this event one of the most deeply rooted and cherished in the upper Tidone valley.

The Shortcrust Pastry Cake, the Village's Symbolic Dessert

At the heart of the festival is the dessert that gives it its name: the shortcrust pastry cake, prepared according to a closely guarded recipe passed down by the women of Pecorara. Crumbly and fragrant, it is baked for the occasion and sold at the stalls along with local typical products, becoming the common thread of a weekend of conviviality.

Music, Games, and Conviviality

For a few days, the village comes alive with food stalls, evening concerts, DJ sets, popular games, and activities designed for all ages. The festival is above all an occasion for the Pecorara community to gather, as well as for those who return to spend their summer in these hills, in an authentic atmosphere far from mass tourism.

The Lantern March

Among the most evocative moments is the lantern march, an evening walk that, along the ancient paths of the area, leads participants to the village accompanied by itinerant music. As darkness falls, the lantern lights illuminate the path through the woods and fields of the Piacenza Apennines, creating a powerfully evocative scene.

A Festival That Tells the Story of the Land

The Shortcrust Pastry Cake Festival is organized by the Pro Loco of Pecorara in collaboration with the Municipality of Alta Val Tidone. More than just a food festival, it is an act of collective memory: recent editions are accompanied by a photographic exhibition spread throughout the village, retracing, through images and objects collected from the inhabitants, decades of the festival's and the community's history.