August is an important month for family in Italy, and most Italians like myself who have moved away, tend to return home for Ferragosto.
Ferragosto celebrations happen across the whole of the country on the 15th August. The celebration
comes from Feriae Augusti, the festival of Emperor Augustus, who made August a day of rest after weeks of hard work in the agricultural sector.
Due to the long days of sunshine, and the temperate climate, many fruits and vegetables are gathered, and families and communities use it as a time to come together and make meals together. It’s kind of like a harvest festival of sorts.
In my family, we tend to have a barbecue and invite friends and family over. I have memories of making many torte salate as a child during these months. My mom makes a special one filled with stracchino cheese and covered in zucchini flowers! Delicious.
Because August is a big month for community cooking, it often tends to be the time where we like to film, as you’ll regularly find nonne busy cooking for the whole family or the local village – and sagre (festivals) are very popular in August. Last year at this time we followed Nonna Ada to a festival behind the scenes of the a competition which happens around this time of year.
The festival she is part of is known as the Sagra delle Sfogline where men and women roll out sheets of pasta dough under a time limit. The judging criteria is based on more than just size: they also assess
smoothness, thickness, and the absence of any glitches or tears in the dough. Livia, our granny finder
and researcher, who always stays in touch with the family that we film heard from her network that nonna Luisa who won in 2024, managed to keep her title again this year. Perhaps next year, we’ll have to go to see if she can make it a hattrick!
But Ferragosto isn’t just about cooking and competitions. It’s about supporting one another, and taking some well-earned time off from work (Italy shuts down on the 15th August. You will hardly find a bar open, especially in small villages). Many of Italy’s beaches will become filled with locals.
My family tends to go to Liguria, more specifically to San Lorenzo al Mare, where we often take snacks and pre-made food such as my mamma’s Insalata di Riso. We also tend to get a takeaway pizza and bring it to the beach.
August is mostly about relaxing and reuniting – and yes, it’s also about many many Aperol Spritzs for me! I typically spend my days off work going to Liguria, spending time swimming and exploring the many Ligurian villages, and of course, eating a lot of focaccia.
And this year one of my favourite days at home when I took a day trip to nearby Varzi, which has the best salami in the world (according to me, of course).
Have you been to Italy during August? What did you eat? Perhaps you have your own family summer
traditions? Let us know (hello@pastagrannies.com).
