Food festival · San Mauro Castelverde
Sagra del Caciocavallo in San Mauro Castelverde
San Mauro Castelverde's Sagra del Caciocavallo lasts three days in early June: free tasting, an ONAF vertical tasting, cheese sculptures, stalls and excursions.
2026 edition
OverSan Mauro Castelverde: Banca dell'Olio delle Madonie, Teatro Comunale, Corso Umberto I, Piano San Mauro, San Mauro Castelverde
Programme
20th edition: talk "Dal latte all'arte" and a theatre show on Friday; stalls from Saturday afternoon, ONAF vertical tasting and pasta filata demonstration at Piano San Mauro, 90s music concert; on Sunday the cheese sculpture contest at 11 am, cheese and ricotta demonstrations and free caciocavallo tasting at 12:30.
This edition is over. We update the page as soon as the next dates are out.
Source: madoniepress.it, checked on 19 October 2026
The Sagra del Caciocavallo is San Mauro Castelverde’s festival of its signature cheese, caciocavallo, long tied to the town’s shepherding tradition. It lasts three days in early June: a talk, stalls of local produce, a vertical tasting led by ONAF (the Italian cheese tasters’ organisation), cheesemakers sculpting cheese and, on Sunday at noon, a free caciocavallo tasting. The 20th edition ran from 5 to 7 June 2026.
When is it held?
The festival falls in early June, Friday to Sunday. In 2026 it celebrated twenty editions.
| Year | Edition | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20th | 5-7 June |
San Mauro’s caciocavallo
For the organisers, caciocavallo is the product that tells the story of the town’s community: a stretched-curd (pasta filata) cheese carrying centuries of craft knowledge and shepherding. The 2026 opening talk was titled “Dal latte all’arte: il Caciocavallo di San Mauro tra nutrizione, identità e territorio” and brought together producers, experts and nutritionists (Madoniedintorni).
The programme, day by day
The 2026 programme (Madonie Press) shows how the three days are organised.
| Day | Time | What and where |
|---|---|---|
| Friday | 5 pm | Talk at the Banca dell’Olio delle Madonie |
| 9:30 pm | Theatre show “Il sotto e sopra di Colapesce” at the Teatro Comunale | |
| Saturday | 3 pm | Exhibition stalls open on Corso Umberto I |
| 5 pm | ONAF vertical tasting of different ageings and pasta filata demonstration, Piano San Mauro | |
| 9:30 pm | 90s music concert at the Teatro Comunale | |
| Sunday | 10 am | Stalls open |
| 11 am | Cheese sculpture contest and cheese and ricotta demonstration | |
| 12:30 pm | Free caciocavallo tasting, L’Eremo folk group and vintage cars |
The 2026 vertical tasting, new that year, was led by ONAF’s regional delegate Pietro Pappalardo, with a pasta filata demonstration by the farm Azienda Agricola Giaimo Vincenzo.
Cheese sculptures
The most curious moment is the cheese sculpture contest (estemporanea di cacio artistico): cheesemakers show old techniques and shape caciocavallo into real works of art. In 2026 the farm Fratelli Vono, the dairy “A Petra pirciata” from Marguglio and the farm Angelo Barca took part.
Excursions and activities
The festival is also a chance to explore the area. In 2026 there were guided tours of the old town, treks, horse rides, quad tours, e-bikes and the town’s two best-known attractions, the Zipline Sicilia and the Altalena Gigante giant swing. There were also excursions to the Gole di Tiberio, the canyon carved by the Pollina river.
Practical tips
San Mauro Castelverde sits at 1,050 metres in the Parco delle Madonie (Madonie Park). Sources don’t mention dedicated car parks; for the road, start with our guide to getting to the Madonie by car. If you want to stay for the Saturday concert and the Sunday tasting, see where to stay in San Mauro Castelverde and where to eat in San Mauro Castelverde. Before you go, check the San Mauro Castelverde weather.
The rest of the town is on the San Mauro Castelverde page. Other local products are in our guide to Madonie food, and other food festivals in the Madonie food festival calendar.
Frequently asked questions
- When is the Sagra del Caciocavallo in San Mauro Castelverde?
- The Sagra del Caciocavallo takes place in early June, over three days from Friday to Sunday. In 2026 the 20th edition ran from 5 to 7 June. The organisers have not yet announced the dates of the next edition.
- Is the caciocavallo tasting free?
- The traditional caciocavallo tasting, on Sunday at 12:30, is free: that's how it was in the 2026 programme, accompanied by the folk group L'Eremo. The ONAF vertical tasting on Saturday is a separate guided session, led by ONAF's regional delegate.
- What is the cheese sculpture contest?
- It's when the town's cheesemakers work the cheese in front of the public and shape it into real sculptures. In 2026 it took place on Sunday at 11 am, with the farm Fratelli Vono, the dairy "A Petra pirciata" from Marguglio and the farm Angelo Barca.
- What else can I do in San Mauro Castelverde during the festival?
- Besides stalls and tastings, in 2026 there were guided tours of the old town, treks, excursions to the Gole di Tiberio, horse rides, quad tours, e-bike hire, and the Zipline Sicilia and Altalena Gigante giant swing. The programme also included theatre and an evening concert.
- Who organises the Sagra del Caciocavallo?
- The 2026 edition was organised by Madonie Travel Service, within the project "Borgo Vivo: San Mauro Castelverde dal Mandamento al Cambiamento" funded by Italy's recovery plan (PNRR). Mayor Giuseppe Minutilla called it one of the events that best express the town's identity.
