Villaretto Chisone Festival – Saint John Patronal Feast

A community festival in the heart of the Chisone Valley

Villaretto Chisone Festival is the patronal feast of the village of Villaretto, located in the municipality of Roure, in the province of Turin, at the entrance to the upper Chisone Valley. The event takes place every year around the feast of Saint John the Baptist, the parish patron, celebrated by the Catholic tradition on June 24th. It is one of the most cherished summer events in the Chisone and Germanasca valleys, attracting residents, vacationers, and visitors from neighboring towns.

Organizers

The festival is promoted by the Polisportiva Villarettese, the association that drives the social life of the village, with the patronage of the Municipality of Roure. The volunteers of the Polisportiva manage every aspect of the event, from community dinners to the organization of musical evenings, in a spirit of conviviality that is the true hallmark of the event.

Piedmontese cuisine and dance evenings

The heart of the festival lies in its dinners featuring Piedmontese cuisine at its finest. The opening night offers a traditional menu ranging from vitello tonnato (veal with tuna sauce) to Russian salad, tongue in green sauce, tomino cheese with anchovies, capunet (stuffed cabbage rolls), and peppers with bagna cauda, followed by agnolotti alla piemontese, local mountain cheese, and classic desserts like bonet and gianduiotti. The following evening is dedicated to the Gran Fritto Misto alla piemontese, another iconic regional dish.

The dinners are accompanied by unmissable dance evenings with ballroom orchestras and live concerts, turning Villaretto into a cheerful gathering spot late into the night.

Religious tradition

Alongside the festivities, the event retains its spiritual dimension. On June 24th, the day of Saint John, a Solemn Mass is celebrated in the village church, featuring the blessing and distribution of blessed bread and flowers, a custom very dear to the community. The celebration, sometimes presided over by the Bishop of Pinerolo, is followed by a social aperitif outdoors, a moment of connection for the entire village.

Why attend

Villaretto Chisone Festival is the ideal opportunity to discover the authenticity of the Piedmontese valleys: an event that focuses not on large crowds but on the warmth of a mountain community, the quality of traditional cuisine, and a patronal feast that continues to be passed down from generation to generation in the territory of Roure.