Fera di San Gandolfo, patron of Polizzi Generosa

The Fera di San Gandolfo is the patron saint’s feast of Polizzi Generosa. It is held on the third Sunday of September: eight days of prayer in the Chiesa Madre and three processions, from Saturday to Monday, with the wooden statue of the saint and the silver urn holding his relics. In 2026 the 706th Fera ran from 12 to 21 September, with the procession of the relics on Sunday 20 at 18:00.

Alongside the religious feast there is the “Fera” in the square: a week of concerts and shows in Piazza Trinità, fireworks and stalls.

Who San Gandolfo was

Gandolfo Sacchi da Binasco was a Friar Minor, a disciple of Saint Francis of Assisi. He came to Polizzi in 1260 with Brother Pasquale to preach during Lent from Ash Wednesday, and here he performed his first miracle, for a young deaf-mute man. He died in the town on Holy Saturday, 3 April 1260.

People in Polizzi already venerated him privately. On Whit Monday, 17 May 1320, the relics were exhumed, recognised and raised, and the bishop of Cefalù, Giacomo di Narni, granted the request to dedicate liturgical celebrations to him. That is where the count of editions starts: 2026 was the 706th, in the year of the eighth centenary of Saint Francis’s death.

Why September

According to the account published by Il Cefalino, the main feast falls on the third Sunday of September because in 1320 that Sunday was the 17th, a day that has stayed dedicated to the saint. September was also the month when the hazelnut harvest ended, which kept many people from Polizzi in the countryside for weeks: the feast came when they returned to town. Hazelnuts have a festival of their own too, the Sagra delle Nocciole in August.

The programme of the Fera days

The religious calendar follows the same pattern every year. This was 2026, from the parish programme published by Il Cefalino:

Day	What
Saturday 12 September	mass at the hermitage with the relics at 18:00, then enthronement of the relics on the high altar of the Chiesa Madre and lighting of the votive lamp
Monday 14 to Friday 18	eight days of prayer: every evening at 18:00 rosary, vespers and mass in the Chiesa Madre, with the various parish groups
Thursday 17 September	liturgical memorial: mass at 9:00 in San Nicolò de Franchis, at 21:00 Franciscan vigil for peace
Saturday 19, “u sabato da Fera”	at 17:00 welcome of the statue coming down from the hermitage, blessing of the loaves offered by confraternities and committees at San Nicolò de Franchis, mass; at 21:00 vigil procession with the Via Lucis
Sunday 20	masses at 9:00, 11:00 (with bishop Giuseppe Marciante) and 17:00; at 18:00 the solemn procession with the relics
Monday 21, “u luni da Fera”	mass at 17:00, return of the relics to their place, procession accompanying the statue to the town gates and vespers at the hermitage

The saint’s painted wooden statue is kept in the hermitage church; the relics are in the silver urn of the Gagini school. Visit Polizzi Generosa describes the processions with flowers, candles and the devotional cries of the faithful.

The feast in Piazza Trinità

In the evening the feast moves to Piazza Trinità. In 2026 the programme, published by Madoniedintorni and Madonie Press, was:

• Saturday 12 September, 22:00: “I migliori anni”, music from the 60s to the 90s;
• Sunday 13: ice-cream maker Antonio Cappadonia makes old-style granita with ice from the Polizzi snow pits;
• Friday 18, from 21:30: the “Erikami in passerella” fashion show by Polizzi designer Erika Cascio and cabaret with Sasà Salvaggio;
• Saturday 19: Nobraino concert and fireworks by Vaccalluzzo Eventi;
• Sunday 20, 22:00: the BandistIKamente, conducted by trumpeter Giacomo Tantillo.

San Gandolfo through the year

The September Fera is not the only date. On 11 January the town thanks the saint for protecting it from the 1693 earthquake. On Easter Monday there is a short procession with the arm reliquary to the church of San Nicolò de Franchis, which keeps the two small bells that, according to tradition, rang by themselves when Gandolfo died. On the seventh Wednesday after Easter, “l’urtimu miircuru di San Gannuarfu”, there is a popular feast at the hermitage, with a torchlight procession the evening before.

Getting there and where to stay

Polizzi Generosa is about 85 km from Palermo (1 hour 20): A19 to the Scillato exit, then 18 km on the SS643. From Cefalù it is about 58 km (1 hour). These are estimates from our calculation on OpenStreetMap without traffic; the rest is in the guide to Madonie roads. The sources do not mention dedicated parking for the feast days.

To stay the night see where to stay in Polizzi Generosa. Before you set off, check the Polizzi Generosa weather. If you stay an extra day, see the trails around Polizzi Generosa. The other patron saints’ feasts are in the calendar of religious festivals in the Madonie.