What to Expect at Fossacesia’s Annual Grape and Wine Festival
One of Abruzzo’s Città del Vino (wine cities), Fossacesia, recently held its second annual festa for their revived autumn wine celebrations that had last been held twenty years ago.
The parade started with the traditionally dressed Arturo Colizzi Folkloristic Choir leading the way with their singing accompanied by an accordion and tambourines. Then the themed floats began to arrive, each one decorated in immaculate detail with grapes, grape vines, baskets, and barrels.
At least three floats had functioning wine fountains, one even had a barrel with two girls stomping grapes. One of the floats highlighted the seasons in the vineyard with pruning in the winter, harvest in the autumn, and featured spinning platforms so you could see both sides of the float without crossing the street. Another float had an ancient temple theme with royalty being fanned by giant feathers while sipping wine out of goblets.
The Seasons in the Vineyard
The floats were accompanied by participants of all ages dressed in coordinated outfits singing, dancing, playing tambourines, drums, and organetti. Other participants were focused on delivering generous ssaggi (tastes) of local Abruzzo wine, traditional baked goods, and candy that included Conche di bocconotti, cantucci, ferratelle, pizzelle, cake, and cookies.
One of my favorites was still warm when I bit into it because it was freshly baked in the oven on the Mediana float. It was a pastry with a grape must filling and coated in sugar that was handmade on the float. My other favorite was the flaky pink one from the Villa Scorciosa float which was a sugar-coated cookie filled with a light-colored fruit and nut filling.
The 10 floats were designed and created local contrade (localities that make up Fossacesia): Piano Favaro, Fonticelli, Colle Castagna-Cupa Sant’Agnese, Masseria-Sterpari, Mediana, Villa Scorciosa, Fonte delle Cave e dintorni, San Martino-Piano Madonna-Fonte Antoni, Colli Belvedere e dell’Erco, and Li Sgarzini.
More information about the event can be found on their Facebook Page.
Author: Riley Bianchi
Riley is an Italian culture, food, and wine enthusiast living in Vasto, CH along with her husband and their dog. When she’s not working or navigating Italian bureaucracy, she can be found at the beach, checking out a local Festival, or checking in guests at their Vasto vacation rental. She works as an Instructional Designer, Project Manager, and UX Writer for software companies and healthcare organizations.