Fall Celebrations, Festivals & Sagras in Italy

As summer fades, fall slowly takes its place with celebrations, festivals and sagas, bringing the crisp, cool air we’ve all been longing for. With the cooler temperatures comes the bountiful harvest—fresh fall vegetables, new wine, and of course, our beloved “Liquid Gold,” olive oil. Fall is my favorite season; I adore the transformations it brings. The fields, hills, and forests are awash in vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow. And let’s not forget the fall celebrations, festivals, and sagras. In Italy, Festivals are a way of life, and each season offers a new reason to gather and celebrate with Village Vacations in Italy.

September Begins the Grape Harvest and Grape Stomping

 September kicks off the fall celebrations, festivals and sagras.  We celebrate the grape harvest, and as you can imagine, it’s a huge event. After all, where would we be without our prized wine? It’s not just a tradition—it’s a way of life, and the entire country comes together to honor the fruits of the vine with celebrations everywhere.  Most of the year, the Nonna’s hands are rolling their rosary beads for a good crop of grapes and everything else for that matter. Come on one of my tours in late September or early October and squish grapes like Lucille Ball!

In my quaint village of Piegaro, in the middle of October every year, Sagra Della Castagna, the Chestnut Festival takes place for ten days, visitors flock the streets, lined with stalls offering local delicacies like cheeses, honey, sauces, jams, jellies, and sweets. The food options are endless with chestnuts in the making: chestnut pasta, chestnut soup, roasted chestnuts, chestnut pies, cakes… the list keeps going. It’s a true celebration of the harvest and all things chestnut!

Many Festivals to Celebrate 

Local Cheeses

Local Glassblowers in Piegaro

 As an added attraction, Glass blowers come here from all over the world to participate. There are stalls with handblown creations waiting for you to take them home, along with demonstrations, workshops, and tours.

 Piegaro has a rich history, notable for its glass factory, which dates back to 1292.  Glass blowers from Venice were forced to the island of Murano and kept there against their will.  Evidently, they didn’t want the secret of glass blowing to escape. However, a few glassblowers escaped with the help of Benedictine priests to, of all places, Piegaro! The lush forests in the area supplied them with wood and sand from the bed of the Nestore River.  In 1312, the glass blowers of Piegaro were commissioned to make the glass tiles used in the stunning mosaics of the façade of Orvieto’s Duomo and for the stained-glass panels inside.  Every time I go to Orvieto I look at those tiles and think of the time and effort that was truly a labor of love, but then EVERYTHING made in Italy is an actual labor of love!

Join Us during the Olive Harvest

As the fall celebrations, festivals and sagras continue at the end of October comes the Raccolto di Olive, the olive harvest, and yes, more sagras and festivals. As you drive the country roads, you will see locals with their families and friends picking olives. Then there is a much-needed break for a bountiful lunch, served with wine, of course. Back to more picking and making sure the picked olives stay dry. Next, they bring their olives to the Frantoio, olive mill, and watch the olives turn from olives to what we call “Liquid Gold”. Let me tell you, there is nothing quite like tasting fresh-pressed olives over a piece of freshly baked, toasted bread! I’m drooling just thinking about it. Straight out of the press, it’s the greenest, most pure virgin olive oil you will ever have—another experience you will have on our Olive Harvest Tour with Village Vacations in Italy.

Picking olives with the locals

Freshly Pressed Olive Oil

Italy teaches you that slowing down is the ultimate luxury, which includes going to all the festivals, of course, and visiting the small villages of Umbria and Tuscany, which is precisely what Village Vacations in Italy lets you experience. Our 2026 small group tours are open and ready to book, so don’t wait too long; the tours book up fast.  As a bonus, our rates are the same as in 2025. Thinking of getting a few friends together or a “Girfriends Get-A-Way”?   Village Vacations in Italy is the tour to go on.

We take you away from the “Hustle and Bustle” of big cities and right into the heart of Italy, where you will truly enjoy the experience of a lifetime. “Travel small, experience more”. That’s how Italy should be enjoyed.  Everything is planned for you from pick-up at Leonardo da Vinci Airport to drop-off.  You don’t have to worry about renting a car or finding places.  Everything that is listed on Village Vacations in Italy tours is included except airfare and travel insurance.

Former flight attendant Nedra Bottieri made a life-changing trip to Italy twenty years ago to re-discover her family heritage. Now with dual citizenship, she has a second home in Umbria. Through her company, Village Vacations in Italy, she organizes and hosts small group tours based in small villages in Umbria and Tuscany, normally customized tours for private groups. Groups have included yoga workshops, writing workshops, and groups of family and friends. Nedra draws on her extensive experience and relationships to plan special accommodations and activities to meet each group’s needs and dreams. Experience “La Dolce Vita” in Italy! To learn more about her tours, see www.villagevacationsinitaly.com Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.