La Festa di Capperi was a good reason to be in Salina on the first Sunday in June.
The festival, held in Pollara, celebrates the caper with music, dancing and eating.
When we arrived, the main square was starting to be set up for the festival
We watched everyone arrive from a tiny bar called I Oasi, overlooking the square
Slowly more and more people arrived, sitting wherever they could.
Of course, capers were for sale
Italians love to party and this was no exception
Even as the band started testing their equipment, the dancing started
Children danced with parents, with grandparents and with each other.
As the sun sank, about 300 people of all ages gathered in the tiny square.
The dancing continued.
As well as singing and dancing, this party was about food. Local restauranteurs and residents had been busy cooking many different dishes all using capers.
After buying a pack containing a plate, fork and glass, we were ready for action!
It was a chaotic scene of plates being thrust in front of the servers as bowls and bowls of food were laid on the table and constantly refilled
Panelle being cut and fried for the crowd
Pasta with caper sauce
Caponata
Gnocchi with capers and tomato
Eggplant with capers
More please
Fish with capers, tomatoes and olives
As the famished were fed, the dancing started again.
They were excellent dancers. The moves impressed as the music changed from the traditional italian songs to neapolitan love songs and polish dance tunes.
No one was going home. The music continued long into the night.
What a divine post! Must have been wonderful, did you stay the whole day?
Glad you like it. The festival started about 8pm but we arrived about 6pm so we could get a park close to town and watch everyone arrive and set up. A fun night.
Don’t you love the fact that there are festivals for things such as capers?
It’s great isn’t it…any excuse for a party!!
Do you have many similar festivals in Ponte a Serraglio?
Jenny
A caper festival! Fantastic. I don’t really like capers, but there’s a traditional Colombian soup our friends make (ajiaco) which includes capers and in that they’re fantastic – so I eat them once a year when we have our ajiaco day.
It was great fun Amanda. Your soup sounds great- recipe please!!
Love it that people still celebrate food in this way. We have a local mushroom festival here and many people comment on the blog saying it’s a fun but strange idea. Not strange at all, for us. And I’d definitely be up for celebrating the caper. Sooo tasty. The food looks fab in your photos. 🙂
Julia
Any excuse for a party though it’s more than this! Their lives depend on what they grow so it’s a great way to celebrate their life. We had a ball and loved the food! Your mushroom festival sounded fabulous as well Julia