by InTrieste
Each late summer, this small town near the Isonzo River renews traditions that bind its community together through music, food, and celebration. This year’s Sagra de le Raze, the centuries-old village festival running from August 28 to September 8, will again feature more than 50 events — from concerts and art exhibitions to sporting competitions — while highlighting some of the rituals that define Staranzano’s cultural identity.
Among the most anticipated are the Festa dell’Uva on September 7 and the Remada Longa on September 13, two community gatherings that recall agricultural life and lagoon traditions. They will be joined by the Pedalada, a group bicycle ride designed this year with a focus on accessibility and inclusivity.
A Celebration of the Harvest
The Festa dell’Uva, first held in the mid-1990s, was created by Francesca Feruglio and has since grown into one of the town’s signature celebrations. Rooted in the rhythms of rural life, the event marks the end of the harvest season and honors the prosperity brought by the grape harvest.
The day begins at the La Ferula farm with a parade of agricultural carts, vintage tractors from the Club Epoca Tractor, and a float from Staranzano’s twin town of Renče-Vogrsko in Slovenia. Local children take part as well, culminating in the traditional Giostra delle Otto Contrade, or Joust of the Eight Districts. Music is provided by the Bisiachi folk costume group and the Filarmonica di Turriaco.
At noon, the parade reaches Piazza Dante, where grapes are pressed in the square and pastries from local bakeries are distributed in exchange for donations, with proceeds going to charity.
A Race Across the Lagoon
A week later, the Remada Longa returns for its 39th edition. The regatta, organized with the sports association Punta Barene, pits Staranzano’s eight districts against one another in races aboard batele — flat-bottomed boats typical of lagoon life. The course runs along the Quarantia Canal, from Punta Barene to La Marinetta.
The regatta is accompanied by the Pedalada, an 18-kilometer cycling excursion through the surrounding countryside. Participants depart from Piazza Dante, cycle past the Brancolo Canal and Alberoni area, and arrive at Punta Barene in time to watch the Remada. A communal lunch follows, before the afternoon leg continues with a guided visit to the historic Sacchetti pumping station, a landmark of the region’s reclamation works.
This year, the Pedalada has been adapted for broader participation. Tandem bicycles and a sidecar-equipped cycle, provided by the municipality with support from PromoTurismoFVG, will allow visually impaired and disabled participants to take part alongside local cycling guides. Registration costs €5 for members of Italy’s cycling association FIAB and €8 for non-members.
The day concludes with a concert by the Green Waves, a folk group specializing in Irish music, performed on the wooden docks of Punta Barene.
Street Performers Return “Home”
The festivities begin earlier, on August 31, with the return of the Buskers Festival. Founded in Staranzano before becoming itinerant across Friuli Venezia Giulia, the international street artists’ festival is returning “home” with a program of performances and creative workshops for children.
Together, the Festa dell’Uva, the Remada Longa, and the Pedalada form the heart of Staranzano’s summer calendar — events that combine history, community spirit, and contemporary efforts to broaden participation.
