In the first period of summer, in the month of June, we begin with the Frog and Polenta Festival in Vecchiazzano, a small hamlet just outside the center of Forlì. It is the most famous and eagerly awaited festival in the district, because it is the only one in Romagna and it has been active for years; it features this unusual food served in all dishes and excellent Sangiovese wine from the farmers of our hills.

An indispensable feature of the festival are the “Azdore” who, behind the counters, prepare exquisite dishes, including homemade pasta such as ravioli, cappelletti, tagliatelle and maltagliati, excellent meat dishes – pork, veal and lamb – , and typical desserts of Romagna such as ciambella, scroccadenti (to dip in red wine), migliaccio (a dessert only found in Romagna, ruby red in color because it is soaked in pig’s blood), mascarpone and torta della nonna.

In June, Civitella celebrates a festival dedicated to an excellent summer fruit: the cherry. During the usual and famous Sunday market, it is possible to taste for free and buy directly from the producers the “queens” of Civitella, known throughout Italy for their quality at the Cherry Festival. Among the many varieties of cherries, you can taste Morandine, Duroni, Cornine and, of course, the most precious ones: the Stella and the historical Moretta of Civitella di Romagna. It is worth mentioning that the town of Civitella is a founding member of the National Association of Cherry Towns.

In Corniolo, a hamlet of the municipality of Santa Sofia, the “Festa Selvaggia” (Wild Festival) is organized, a two-day event dedicated to the gastronomic delicacies of regularly caught, butchered and certified local game, to be tasted in the Corniolo festival area or in local restaurants.

As summer goes on, so do the events dedicated to the typical foods of our area. The most important one takes place in Forlimpopoli, a town that was the birthplace of the famous gastronome Pellegrino Artusi, author of “Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well”, a manual that brings together Italian culinary traditions to create a national gastronomic tradition.

Every year, in his honor, the Festa Artusiana is organized, an important international artistic-culinary event that takes place in the last decade of June, for 9 evenings dedicated to cuisine, culture and entertainment. This celebrated initiative, which attracts thousands of people from all over Italy, takes place every evening (from 7 p.m. to midnight) in the historic center of Forlimpopoli, dominated by the beautiful 14th century fortress. In addition to food stalls where you can eat and taste typical products, there are also stalls selling handicrafts. The evenings are animated by shows, gastronomic itineraries and children’s entertainment. The event transforms Forlimpopoli into a “town of taste”, where the streets are renamed and the alleys and squares are transformed into real gastronomic itineraries, in a setting directly related to the work of the local writer Pellegrino Artusi.

In Portico di Romagna, during the first weekend of August, the Tagliatella Festival is held, an excellent opportunity to taste this traditional dish. The tagliatelle are strictly hand-rolled and served with meat sauce, mushrooms and bladder campions. In mid-August we can take part in other interesting festivals and events. One of the most entertaining, especially for young people, is Birra sotto le stelle, the Pieve Salutare Beer Festival: three days where it is possible to taste all kinds of beer, with shows, entertainment and stands selling typical products.

Moving towards Premilcuore, on the first weekend of August, we find the Wild Boar Festival. A gastronomic event where you can taste the best dishes made with wild boar meat: from tagliatelle to cappelletti, from polenta to mixed grill, without forgetting the famous stew.

Another festival not to be missed is the Sagra del Tortello alla Lastra, a typical gastronomic specialty of the mountains between Romagna and Tuscany, held on the second weekend in August. The recipe is the classic one, with handmade pastry filled with potatoes, bacon, nutmeg and Parmesan cheese.

Also in Premilcuore, on the second weekend of August, there is another important festival, the Sagra della Fiorentina, which attracts thousands of gourmets every year and is presided over by the Slow Food label. Lots of good food and lots of music celebrate the enhancement of meat from the Romagna breed.