 Roman Holiday - the grape festival of Marino
'La sagra' is a wonderful Italian tradition, and few towns are without their own version of this wonderful community festival. Typically based around the annual celebration of a particular foodstuff, be it polenta, watermelon, snails or truffles, at 'la sagra' the streets fill with stalls and tables overflowing with delicious dishes and wines, and much dancing and fun ensues.
The hill town of Marino in the region of Lazio is no exception, and has one of the largest and most celebrated sagre in all Italy: 'la sagra dell'uva', a spectacular day centred on the grape and its much loved liquid derivative. Winemaking has always been the mainstay of Marino's economy, so in 1925 the local born poet and playwright Leone Ciprelli invented the festival as a celebration of the harvest, and as an advertisement of the local product. But the date chosen coincides with several dates of local import, so the sagra evolved into a mixture of pagan, Christian and historical imagery and celebration.
Every October on the first Sunday of the month, every rafter and balcony in the town is decorated with bunches of the juicy, golden green fruit. The first event of the day is Mass, celebrated in the Basilica of San Barnaba, which is then followed by the procession of the Madonna of the Rosary through the streets of the town. Carried high on a baroque carriage, the statue of the Madonna is followed by members of the confraternities, or guilds. At the end of the procession the priest blesses the crowd, and grapes are laid at the feet of the statue to give thanks for the protection of the harvest.
The Madonna of the Rosary is particularly popular in this area because of her association with the Battle of Lepanto of 1571. A local landlord from Marino, Marcantonio Colonna, played a leading role in this landmark battle, still recognised as one of Italy's greatest military achievements (indeed, the Roman underground system has its 'Lepanto' station, just as the London network has its 'Waterloo'). And it is the celebration of this famous victory that characterises the afternoon's activities. An enormous pageant, with hundreds of Marino inhabitants in full Renaissance dress, parades through the streets, led by the popularly elected pageant 'king' and 'queen', Marcantonio and his Princess. At sunset, the festival climaxes with the 'miracolo delle fontane che danno vino', the miraculous pouring forth of wine from the fountains. With absolutely no historical or religious precedent, the fountains of the town flow with wine for about an hour, which of course is much enjoyed by the local citizens and the revellers who swell their numbers for that day. And with much dancing, eating and drinking still to come, the Dionysian revelry continues long into the night.
Links
Per Bacco!
Italian site, wine and food based itineraries through Italy, including the festa dell'uva in marino. Grape festival posters
Posters of every Grape festival in Marino since 1930. Italian wines A comprehensive online guide to Italian wines, with region by region information on your favourite tipple.
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