Verdello Festival and "La Zagara d'Oro" National Award

A festival for Sicily's summer lemon

The Verdello Festival takes place in the picturesque village of Sciglio, nestled above the town of Roccalumera along the so-called Valley of the Mills in the Metropolitan City of Messina. The absolute star is the verdello, the prized summer lemon that ripens in the height of the hot season, offering an intense fragrance and a sweet, slightly acidic flavor, long cultivated in the citrus groves of the Ionian coast of Messina.

The event, which reached its 31st edition in 2025, is organized by the Salvatore Quasimodo Cultural Circle, chaired by Pippo Giorgianni, with the patronage of the Municipality of Roccalumera and the Regional Department of Tourism, Sport, and Entertainment of the Sicilian Region.

Verdello-based gastronomy

The delicious heart of the festival lies in the food stalls set up along the streets of Sciglio, where visitors can sample local products and specialties prepared with verdello lemon: burger sandwiches and rolls, porchetta seasoned with verdello, as well as pastries, ice creams, sorbets, jams, and the essential fresh lemonade. A culinary offering that highlights the territory's citrus farming and the valley's traditional cuisine.

The "La Zagara d'Oro" National Award

Alongside the gastronomic festivities, the closing evening hosts the "La Zagara d'Oro - Gilberto Idonea" National Award, which reached its 29th edition in 2025. The award, named after the fragrant citrus blossom, recognizes individuals who have excelled at the regional and national level each year: journalists, professionals, volunteers, associations, and representatives of the cultural world. The various categories include the "Zagara Flower for Journalism," the "Zagara Flower for Sicilian Professionalism," and the "Silver Zagara."

Music and evening atmosphere

The evenings, starting at dusk, are enlivened by live music performances, entertainment, and festive moments that attract residents and visitors from neighboring towns. Recent editions have featured prominent Sicilian artists, helping to make the Verdello Festival one of the most cherished summer events on the Ionian Riviera of Messina.

An identity-defining event of the Ionian coast

Amidst citrus groves, ancient mills, and the scent of orange blossoms, the Verdello Festival represents an opportunity to rediscover the rural traditions of Roccalumera and the entire Ionian district, in a village that was also dear to the poet Salvatore Quasimodo, who hailed from these very places.