by InTrieste
At Villa Manin, one of northeastern Italy’s grandest Venetian estates, the region’s culinary traditions will take center stage later this month as Sapori Pro Loco returns for its 23rd edition.
The food festival, organized by the regional committee of UNPLI Friuli Venezia Giulia, will run across two weekends — May 16-17 and May 22-24 — bringing together 50 local Pro Loco associations from across Friuli Venezia Giulia. Volunteers from 22 groups will prepare 66 traditional dishes, many inspired by longstanding rural recipes, alongside regional wines and craft beers.
This year’s edition places renewed emphasis on reinterpretations of classic fare. Organizers say more than half of the dishes on offer are either new creations or updated versions of traditional recipes. Among them are polenta gnocchi with local cheeses and wild herbs from Gemona del Friuli, focaccia filled with Prosciutto di San Daniele, chestnut muffins from the hills of Soffumbergo and a playful “drinkable sausage” specialty from Val d’Arzino.
The event has grown steadily into one of the region’s largest showcases of local gastronomy and volunteer culture. “Sapori Pro Loco continues to be a showcase of excellence capable of combining taste, tradition and the value of volunteerism,” Pietro De Marchi, president of UNPLI Friuli Venezia Giulia, said during a presentation in Udine on Monday.
Beyond food, the festival will feature concerts, craft markets, guided walks, folklore performances and literary presentations. A dedicated “Io sono Friuli Venezia Giulia” area will host tastings, cultural discussions and demonstrations of traditional crafts, including live weaving using dried corn husks.
The setting itself remains part of the attraction. Visitors to Villa Manin — once home to the last Doge of Venice and later occupied by Treaty of Campo Formio negotiations under Napoleon Bonaparte — will also be able to tour the estate’s historic halls, chapel and parklands throughout the festival.
