What is the best time to visit Italy? There really is no exact answer to this question, but autumn certainly has a lot to offer in every region. The large influx of summer vacationers is now behind us and the villages and towns return to their everyday life, thus revealing themselves to the visitor in a more authentic way.

Meanwhile, the whole world around us changes color. Nature is brushed with a thousand warm shades ranging from red to yellow to brown, and the typical seasonal products appear on the tables of the various regions. Each region is different from the others, offering special dishes and traditions.

To exalt these ingredients, village festivals and numerous other events are scattered throughout the peninsula, to deliver the most real taste of Italy.

Here is a selection of some of the most important events during the autumn season.

Pomaria, the Val di Non DOP apple festival

Let’s start from the northern mountains of Trentino Alto Adige, more precisely from the Val di Non and the Val di Sole. Here the forbidden fruit of Eden is famous and much loved.

This is why a festival has been dedicated to it, and thus Pomaria was born. An exhibition dedicated to the world of apples that takes place in Casez, to celebrate the arrival of autumn and the end of the harvest.

Pizzocchero d’Oro and the Weekend of Taste of Teglio

Valtellina is an Alpine region located in the province of Sondrio, in Lombardy, the perfect destination for lovers of nature, mountains and, good food. One of the most famous typical dishes here is the Pizzoccheri , a variety of pasta in the shape of an elongated rectangle, prepared with buckwheat flour mixed with other flours.

The locality of Teglio is considered the homeland of this culinary specialty and in the last months of the year it, offers numerous weekends in which you can savor the pizzoccheri from the “Accademia del Pizzocchero” and other delicious dishes of the local tradition.

Cheese Fair

On the heights of Romagna stands an interesting medieval village called Talamello which, in addition to the beauty of the historic center, offers the possibility of taking beautiful walks to discover the surrounding nature.

The town is famous for the production of fossa cheese, a delicacy that derives from a tradition introduced in the Middle Ages. The name of this typical dairy product derives from the fact that, during the month of August, the cheese is left to mature in underground pits, dug into rock, and then taken out in November, precisely on the occasion of the Fossa Cheese Fair.

These days the streets of the village come alive with food stands offering typical quality products from every part of Italy.

Nougat Festival of Cremona

Cremona is a city in Lombardy that boasts a beautiful historic center and is famous for the artisan tradition of the violin (the Stradivarius collection at the Violin Museum is particularly beautiful) and for the production of nougat.

One of the most popular events of the year is dedicated to this iconic delicacy of regional gastronomy: the Nougat Festival. On this occasion, masters and producers from all over Italy will perform gastronomic challenges, guided tastings, and much more.

The maxi constructions of Torrone, the Torrone d’Oro is the Final Show.

Castelfranco di Sotto Porcino and Chianina Autumn Festival

Back to Tuscany, this time in the municipality of Castelfranco di Sotto in the province of Pisa. Here, now famous, the Sagra del Porcino and Chianina takes place. Born to safeguard the gastronomic traditions in an area where the industrial vocation is becoming more and more popular.

There is no better occasion to taste delicious traditional dishes almost all based on Chianina beef, such as fresh tortelli and various types of pasta with Chianina meat sauce, the Chianina hamburger, the Chianina roast beef as well as numerous dishes of porcini mushrooms.