Annual Italy Events

The Romanesco Artichoke Festival of Ladispoli was first celebrated in 1951 and now is held during the second week of April. The festival was initiated to help popularize this bulbous vegetable (long recognized for its aphrodisiac properties) that is proudly cultivated in this Roman town on the Tyrrhenian Sea (it's an hour north of Rome, nestled between the Torfa Mountains and Lake Bracciano. The village is a hidden gem that offers black sands and Etruscan remains). The program includes a conference on the economics and cultivation of the artichoke, a cooking contest for the best artichoke-based recipe, athletic races, and musical bands that come from all over Italy. But the chief attraction always remains the wedges of fried artichokes which are handed out for free. In past years, the square has been decorated with fantastic artichoke sculptures and the vendor that displays his chokes in the most creative, artistic way is awarded a prize. The events gives a festive entry to the Italian spring and usher in the tourist season. Before, during and after the actual event, local restaurants serve special, fixed menus that feature an assortment of artichoke-based dishes. Well worth a visit if you are curious about how many different ways the famous vegetable delicacy can be prepared and praised. Visitors can also stop by the nearby World Wildlife Fund Oasis. They administer the last lush forest of holm oak, maple and ash that exists on the coast and it shelters foxes and porcupines, badgers, hedgehogs, nightingales, golden orioles and tawny owls.