'A Fèra, the patronal feast of San Mauro Castelverde

’A Fèra is the feast of San Mauro Abate, patron saint of San Mauro Castelverde, the village at 1,050 metres overlooking the Pollina valley. It lasts nine days in the first half of July. In 2026 it ran from 4 to 12 July, with the bishop of Cefalù’s mass on Thursday 9 and the procession with the blessing of the fields on Sunday 12.

It is organised by the Pro Loco, the town council and the parish of San Giorgio Martire. Many visitors come every year: these are the right days to see the village with bands in the streets, processions and evenings of music.

Why it is called ’A Fèra

The name comes from a livestock fair. The walking guide to the old town published by the town council explains that until 1600 the saint’s solemn feast fell on 20 May. It then moved to the first Tuesday of June, sometimes on the same days as the animal fair, and people started calling it “Fera”, the fair. Later it was moved to July.

San Mauro’s liturgical feast is still 15 January. On that day, in the past, the brotherhood cooked cuccìa and gave it to the poor. Today January brings a solemn mass and a quieter procession with the float known as “u Nicu”: in 2025, on Wednesday 15 January, the band set off at 16:30, mass was at 17:00 and the procession at 18:00.

The float and the church of San Mauro Abate

The statue comes out of the church of San Mauro Abate, a three-aisled church built in the early 17th century on the initiative of Bartolo Sarrica, a Paris graduate, with the work of the village’s craftsmen, farmers and labourers. The sandstone portal is by master Luca Murena from Nicosia.

Inside is the chapel with the saint’s float, ’a vara. At first it had four gilded columns. In 1650 it became a six-column float, with cherubs at the corners. After later restorations it now has eight columns, twelve cherubs and a small statue of the Immaculate Conception on top of the dome; the last restoration dates from 1992. Again according to the council’s guide, tradition had the saint carried to the church of San Giorgio, the village’s other patron, where the relic was once kept: that is why the procession route is almost fixed.

What happens over the nine days

The programme changes every year, but the backbone is this (from the 2026 programme reported by Madonie Press and Madoniedintorni):

• religious services every day, with processions of the statue and the opening and closing of the shrine holding the relic;
• the bishop’s mass, celebrated by the bishop of Cefalù and followed by the procession through the village (on Thursday 9 July in 2026, with Monsignor Giuseppe Marciante);
• band parades, symphonic marches and the “Tammuriati” drummers in the old town;
• music nights: in 2026 the Radio Time 90 Dance Show, the Pooh tribute band “I PU’ Band” and Gaetano Riccobono & Romanticia Jazz Choir, part of the Sicilia Jazz Festival;
• fireworks at some of the key moments (by Fuochi Castorino in 2026);
• the “’A Fèra - Piccoli Campioni” tournament for young people;
• the close, on the last Sunday: procession of the statue with the blessing of the fields and open-air mass beside the float.

The full programme is posted every year on the Facebook page of the Comune di San Mauro Castelverde. In the village the evening stroll happens along Via Umberto, which locals still call ’a strata ’a fera, the fair street.

In 2026 the village also hosted a few evenings of the Castelbuono Jazz Festival, in July and August. In early June there is another date for food lovers, the Sagra del Caciocavallo.

Getting there, where to stay and what to see nearby

San Mauro Castelverde is about 37 km from Cefalù (50 minutes) and about 104 km from Palermo (1 hour 45), according to our calculation on OpenStreetMap without traffic. General directions are in the guide to driving in the Madonie. The sources on the feast do not mention dedicated parking or shuttle buses.

There are few rooms in the village, so book early: see where to stay in San Mauro Castelverde, or choose Castelbuono or Cefalù. Before you set off, check the San Mauro Castelverde weather.

If you stay an extra day, the classic outing is to the Gole di Tiberio, the gorge carved by the Pollina river below the village. The other festivals of the year are on the San Mauro Castelverde events page and in the calendar of religious festivals in the Madonie.