Staghiglione Brasadè Festival

The festival of Staghiglione's symbolic sweet

The Brasadè Festival takes place in Staghiglione, a hamlet of the Municipality of Borgo Priolo, in the Province of Pavia, on the hills of the Oltrepò Pavese. It is the festival dedicated to the brasadè, a crunchy ring-shaped sweet that has deep roots in Staghiglione: its production, around the mid-19th century, had reached the dignity of a real profession here.

What is brasadè

The brasadè is a small ring-shaped sweet of 19th-century origin prepared with flour, sugar, butter, and lard: the dough is first immersed in boiling water and then baked in wood-fired ovens. The name recalls the act of brasar, meaning to cook twice. According to tradition, brasadè are sold packaged in "necklaces" of eleven sweets joined by a cotton cord, a detail that tells the story of simplicity and sharing of this product born as a humble gift among the hill people.

A day of flavors and villages

The festival enlivens the hamlet for an entire Sunday with food stands, artisan market stalls, exhibitions of vintage vehicles and tractors, and the preparation of brasadè in ancient ovens. Alongside the food and wine aspect, there are guided tours of the historic places of the village, from the Church of San Lorenzo Martire to the Pieve dei Malaspina, and moments of musical entertainment until the panoramic aperitif in the late afternoon.

The Brasadé d'Oro award

Among the most recent events is the "Brasadé d'Oro" award, a recognition dedicated to the quality and enhancement of the artisanal tradition linked to the sweet. The event is promoted with the contribution of regional grants for territorial enhancement and managed by local associations, with the Borgovivo Association among the protagonists of the food area.