Saint Martin Festival 2019 in Anghiari

Autumn delicacies and market stalls in the charming warm atmosphere of the village of Anghiari

From 09 November 2019 to 10 November 2019

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On the 9th and 10th of November in the delightful village of Anghiari in the province of Arezzo, in the Valtiberina of Tuscany the St Martin Festival and bringoli celebration will take place. It is the 39th edition of a typical autumn festival where, wrapped in the warm atmosphere of this beautiful season, you can enjoy many delicious local products. In addition to bringoli, another word for ‘pici’, you can taste ‘brustichino’, Tuscan bread toasted with oil and salt, excellent sausages, mushrooms, chestnuts and new wine! As the saying goes, 'San Martino: chestnuts and wine'!

But who was San Martino and why is he celebrated? He was the bishop of Tours who later became one of the most venerated saints of the entire Middle Ages. The most famous episode is when he allegedly cut his cloak in two to offer half to a cold beggar. The date on which his funeral was celebrated, 11th November, became Saint Martin’s Day, a day that among other things coincided precisely with the Celtic New Year! Given the period of the year in which this festival is celebrated, it has always been linked to the end of agricultural activities linked to the beginning of autumn. It has always been one of the traditional November events in Italy where autumn delicacies like chestnuts, wine and mushrooms are everyone’s favourites.

Let's take a look at what’s on for Anghiari Saint Martin Festival’s 2019 edition and which treats will delight your palate. The main dish of the event will be bringoli, hand-pulled spaghetti which are a bit thicker than industrial ones. Does this remind you of anything? You’re right, they are nothing more than well-known ‘pici’, a Tuscan traditional recipe that could even enter among the products protected by UNESCO! In Anghiari of Tuscany they are called bringoli, across Italy there are other names, but the simple recipe has remained the same for centuries: water and flour and the wisdom of the hands in pulling the dough. At the Anghiari Festival you can taste them with different sauces: with a sumptuous meat Bolognese sauce, with mushrooms or with some ‘sugo finto’, also known as ‘sugo scappato’. Did we really intrigue you with this funny name? It is a sauce of peasants’ cuisine that was cooked when there was no meat, a rather frequent possibility! Basically, it was and still is a vegan pasta sauce: you sauté the onions, add the tomato and even a dash of wine but not the meat, which this way has 'escaped' the preparation.

Another typical delicacy of the St Martin’s fair in Anghiari is brustichino. In this case again, the less well-known name hides one of the simplest and tastiest Tuscan specialties, whose delicacy depends entirely on the ingredients: fett'unta! At St Martin in November, a delicious slice of Tuscan bread strictly toasted on the grill and seasoned with some good olive oil and a pinch of salt just fits the bill. It warms up people’s hearts with its crispy goodness! The ingredient that makes the difference is obviously the olive oil but you can rest assured in Anghiari and surroundings there are plenty of producers of this golden nectar.

And what can you eat during St Martin celebrations in Anghiari? Surely there will be chestnuts and young wine, a pairing also sanctioned by the Saint Martin proverbs! The area of Ponte alla Piera in Anghiari is indeed dedicated to the cultivation of chestnuts and their products such as flour and other delicacies. But if you want to accompany wine with good meat you can do it by tasting excellent sausages and delicious steaks! In short, for the Saint Martin’s fair you will have no problem deciding where to eat in Anghiari, certainly you will not go away feeling hungry...let alone thirsty! You can also buy excellent mushrooms and other typical products to take home to continue enjoying these fantastic flavors. Like many other festivals near Arezzo, in Anghiari there will also be a street market with antiques, modern art and collectibles. Well, now you just have to read the program of St Martin Feast day in Anghiari and plan to spend a nice autumn weekend in Tuscany, in the delightful village of Anghiari.

SATURDAY 9th NOVEMBER

• 10.00 Borgo della Croce (Palazzo Fontana): exhibition of children from the Infancy and Elementary school on San Martino and autumn
• 10.00 Galleria dei Magi: opening of the food and wine stands and tasting of typical products
• 10.00 Logge della Fonte: mushroom exhibition

SUNDAY 10th NOVEMBER

• - From 8.00 to 20.00 in Piazza Baldaccio and in the Borgo Antico, 'Memorandia' exhibition of antiques, modern art and collectibles.
• 9.00 Mountain Bike Event
• 10.00 Borgo della Croce (Palazzo Fontana): exhibition of children from the Infancy and Elementary school on San Martino and autumn
• 10.00 Galleria dei Magi: opening of the food and wine stands and tasting of typical products
• 10.00 Borgo della Croce: exhibition of pumpkins and ancient apple varieties
• 10.00 Logge della Fonte: mushroom exhibition
• 10.00 Chiesa della Maddalena – Holy Mass: Blessing and distribution of St Martin’s bread

Are you ready to come to Anghiari Festival? Among the autumn events, 10th and 11th November in Anghiari, Italy, are really perfect to enjoy all the flavors of Tuscany during the current season! Bringoli, chestnuts, wine, sausages and mushrooms will delight your palate and you can also visit, among the exhibitions scheduled on St Martin’s day, one of mushrooms and one of pumpkins. And what about the many oddities you can find at the Antiques market? Moreover, the village is one of the most beautiful in Tuscany and is the real reason to visit its St Martin fair. What’s more, villages are one of the best reasons to visit Tuscany, heart-warming places where time seems to have stopped. Visit our page on villages of Tuscany villages of Tuscany and discover more of them during your autumn trip, in addition to Anghiari.

The Proloco of Anghiari presents the 39th St Martin’s and Bringoli Fair, Anghiari

ST. MARTIN’S FESTIVAL: 10th and 11th November 2019

LOCATION: Anghiari old town

TIMES: from 9.00 to 18.00

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.prolocoanghiari.info