Food festival · Collesano
Collesano Cheese Festival, the cheese fair
Collesano Cheese Festival: Collesano's Sagra del Formaggio in November, with the taste trail, the Madonie dairies and ricotta made live in front of you.
2025 edition
OverOld town: the main street, Piazza Mazzini, Piazza 4 Cannoli and Palazzo Municipale, Collesano
Programme
17th Sagra del Formaggio: a trail of “taste stops” through the old town.
This edition is over. We update the page as soon as the next dates are out.
Source: comune.collesano.pa.it, checked on 19 October 2026
The Collesano Cheese Festival is the cheese fair of Collesano, born as the Sagra del Formaggio and renewed in name and format. It takes place in November, over a weekend: the old town becomes a “taste trail” with stalls from the Madonie dairies, tastings, music and guided tours. In 2025 the 17th edition was held on 15 and 16 November, with free entry.
It is promoted by the council with the Pro Loco Collesano APS and the youth council. The 2026 dates have not been announced yet.
What you find along the taste trail
The route crosses the old town in “taste stops”. At the stalls producers offer samples of and sell ricotta, fresh and aged cheeses and other Madonie produce. In 2023 there was also the “marcatu”, a demonstration of ricotta being made live.
Around the cheeses there are street food, preserves, honey and sweets, cooking shows and masterclasses with chefs and artisans, live music, children’s entertainment and guided tours of the village. The magazine Il Tirrenico also lists the Museo Targa Florio among the tour stops, a museum devoted to the car race born in this area.
The 2025 programme
This is the two-day programme for 2025, from the leaflet published by the Comune di Collesano:
| Day | Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 15 | 17:30 | stalls open and Radio Cheese | main street and Palazzo Municipale |
| Saturday 15 | 17:30 | guided tours of the village | from Piazza Mazzini |
| Saturday 15 | 18:00 and 18:30 | children’s entertainment and a dance school parade | Piazza 4 Cannoli and main street |
| Saturday 15 | 20:00 | ballroom dancing night | Piazza 4 Cannoli |
| Saturday 15 | 23:00 | concert by Monica’s Band | Piazza Mazzini |
| Sunday 16 | 10:30 | stalls open and guided tours | main street and Piazza Mazzini |
| Sunday 16 | 11:00 | Vespa Piaggio parade in period costume | from Piazza Mazzini |
| Sunday 16 | 12:00-18:30 | roving music, live bands, children’s entertainment, Sicilian music | main street and Piazza 4 Cannoli |
Past editions
The format changes from year to year. In 2023 the festival lasted three days, from 3 to 5 November, with the market area on the main street. That edition had a masterclass on the five Sicilian PDO cheeses paired with five wines (20 euros, two sessions of 25 people, in the cloister of the historical archive of Santa Maria di Gesù), a home cooking contest for amateurs in Piazza Duomo and taste workshops at a local farm.
In 2025 the festival was funded by the regional department of Agriculture. The council presented it as a way to support the area’s small milk and cheese producers.
Getting there, where to stay and what to pair it with
Collesano is about 25 km from Cefalù (55 minutes) and about 78 km from Palermo (1 hour 40), according to our calculation on OpenStreetMap without traffic. The programme does not mention parking: general information is in the guide to driving in the Madonie. Before you set off, check the Collesano weather.
To stay the night see where to stay in Collesano. November in the Madonie is the month of autumn food festivals: around the same time there are the Festa del Corbezzolo in Sant’Ambrogio and, at the end of October, the Festa dei Sapori Madoniti d’Autunno in Petralia Sottana. The others are in the calendar of food festivals in the Madonie.
Past editions
- 2023 3 – 5 November 2023 Source
Frequently asked questions
- When is the Collesano Cheese Festival?
- The festival takes place in November, over a weekend. In 2025 the 17th edition was on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 November; in 2023 it lasted three days, from 3 to 5 November. The 2026 dates have not yet been published by the Comune di Collesano.
- Is there an entrance fee?
- Entry to the Collesano Cheese Festival is free: you walk along the taste trail and sample at the producers' stalls. Some activities may have a cost: in 2023 the masterclass on the five Sicilian PDO cheeses paired with wines cost 20 euros, with booking and sessions of 25 people.
- What do you eat at the Collesano Cheese Festival?
- At the centre are the cheeses of the Madonie dairies: fresh ricotta, aged cheeses, tastings and direct sales. In 2023 there was also the “marcatu”, ricotta made live. Around them there are street food, honey, Madonie sweets, cured meats and cooking shows.
- Is the Cheese Festival the old Sagra del Formaggio?
- It is the same event with a new name and format. In 2025 the council presented it as “Collesano Cheese Festival - 17th Sagra del Formaggio”: the numbering continues that of the historic cheese fair.
- Who organises the festival?
- It is promoted by the Comune di Collesano with the Pro Loco Collesano APS and, since 2025, the youth council. The 2025 edition was funded by the regional department of Agriculture through the regional Agriculture Department.
- How do you get to Collesano?
- Collesano is about 25 km from Cefalù (55 minutes) and about 78 km from Palermo (1 hour 40), according to our calculation on OpenStreetMap without traffic. The programme does not mention dedicated parking; the festival takes place in the old town, which is easily explored on foot.
