Wild Feast. Beyond the Deer

A Mountain Festival Dedicated to Game

The Wild Feast. Beyond the Deer is the local game festival of Corniolo, a small mountain hamlet in the Municipality of Santa Sofia, in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in the heart of Emilia-Romagna. We are in the middle of the Casentinesi Forests, Monte Falterona, and Campigna National Park, one of the greenest and wildest corners of the Tuscan-Romagnolo Apennines: the ideal setting for a festival that focuses on game meat from the area, regularly hunted, slaughtered, and certified.

What to Eat

The heart of the event is gastronomic. The restaurateurs of Corniolo and Campigna, together with the Pro Loco Corniolo Campigna, offer a menu for two days entirely built around Apennine game. Among the dishes featured in the festival editions:

• Wild boar stew, grilled, and in medallions;
• Deer, with ragù for tagliatelle and balsamic vinegar preparations;
• Fallow deer, hare, and pheasant cooked according to traditional recipes;
• polenta with stew and potato tortelli with ragù, great classics of Romagnola mountain cuisine.

The dishes can be enjoyed both in the local restaurants and in the Pro Loco festival area, with genuine ingredients and local recipes.

When and Where

The festival takes place in the village of Corniolo, along the road leading to Campigna and the Apennine ridge. The program is divided into two main events: the Saturday dinner and the Sunday lunch, two opportunities to stop for a meal and discover a village that lives by the forest, hunting, and tradition.

Between Village and Forest

More than just a gastronomic event, the Wild Feast is a way to tell the identity of Corniolo and the upper Bidente valley: a territory where game is not a trend, but part of the local food culture. Sponsored over the years by the Municipality of Santa Sofia, the Casentinesi Forests Park Authority, and local associations (Santa Sofia is also a Cittaslow city), the festival is the perfect occasion to combine a walk in the park's woods with a mountain lunch or dinner.