Verla di Giovo Grape Festival

A festival born from the harvest

The Verla di Giovo Grape Festival is the oldest event in Trentino dedicated to the grape harvest. It takes place in the historic center of Verla, a hamlet of the Municipality of Giovo, in the heart of the Cembra Valley, in the province of Trento (Trentino-Alto Adige). Every late September, the village fills with colors, music, and the scent of grape must, celebrating the harvest that has always defined the life of this mountain community, where hundreds of thousands of vines grow on characteristic terraces supported by dry-stone walls.

The parade of allegorical floats

The heart of the event is the historic parade of allegorical floats, which began in 1958 with the "Promised Land" float by the Ceola group. For over sixty years, local groups have built unique floats every year, creatively interpreting themes of the harvest, cultivation, and traditional grape pressing. The parade, held on Sunday afternoon, is an explosion of color and creativity that turns the village streets into a true open-air theater, with a jury tasked with awarding the best floats.

Traditional Palio competitions

Alongside the parade, the festival preserves two deeply felt traditional competitions:

• Palio dei Congiai: a challenge that involves filling barrels as quickly as possible by transporting water with the "congial," the typical support used in the fields during the harvest.
• Palio dei Ceveri: a test introduced in 2022, linked to the gestures and tools of farming work in the vineyards.

The Grape Walk

Immersed in the landscape of the "Terre Sospese" (Suspended Lands), the Grape Walk is a food and wine hike through the terraced vineyards of Giovo, with routes accessible to everyone and stands and tastings along the way. It is one of the most popular events, attracting thousands of walkers among the valley's vines.

Flavors and wines of the Cembra Valley

During the festival, the village comes alive with numerous food and wine stands distributed throughout the squares and streets, where you can taste typical Trentino cuisine and the DOC wines of the Cembra Valley, a land renowned for fragrant whites and Classic Method sparkling wines. There are also workshops for children, exhibitions, live musical entertainment, and miniature floats created by local school students.

An identity-defining event

Organized by the Pro Loco di Giovo APS with the support of the entire community, the Grape Festival is much more than a local fair: it is a collective ritual that strengthens the bond between the inhabitants of Giovo and the Cembra Valley and their wine-growing land. An unmissable stop on the Trentino autumn calendar for those who want to experience the authentic atmosphere of a mountain harvest.