Funghi Fest and Sapori Madoniti, 23-25 October 2026

From Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026 the Madonie have two food festivals on the same weekend: the Funghi Fest in Castelbuono, a mushroom festival now in its 20th edition, and the Festa dei Sapori Madoniti d’Autunno in Petralia Sottana, in its 18th. Stalls in the old towns, tastings, music in the evening. The two villages are about 38 km apart: by car you can do both.

At a glance

• When: Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026, in both villages.
• Funghi Fest: stalls on via Sant’Anna and in the old town of Castelbuono, tastings of mushroom dishes in Piazza Castello on Saturday and Sunday at 12 noon and 6 pm.
• Sapori Madoniti: stalls along corso Paolo Agliata in Petralia Sottana, Friday from 7 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am.
• Distances: Castelbuono is about 90 km from Palermo, Petralia Sottana about 105 km; 38 km and 42 minutes between the two.
• Entry: no tickets listed in the programmes; you pay for food and products at the stalls.
• Information: Funghi Fest +39 329 491 9281; Petralia Sottana tourist office 0921 641811.

The Funghi Fest programme in Castelbuono

The official programme warns that it is “constantly being updated” and may change. These are the events published on the Funghi Fest website as of 20 October.

Day	Time	What and where
Friday 23	5:30 pm	Stalls open in the old town
Friday 23	6:30 pm	Opening ceremony on via Sant’Anna
Friday 23	10:30 pm	Music in Piazza Castello
Saturday 24	10 am	Stalls open
Saturday 24	12 noon and 6 pm	Tasting of mushroom dishes and local products, Piazza Castello
Saturday 24	9:30 pm	International Prize for Culture and Taste, Piazza Castello
Saturday 24	11:30 pm	Music show, Piazza Castello
Sunday 25	9 am-6 pm	“Artisti a Corte” art market, belvedere on viale Castello
Sunday 25	10:30 am	Folk group parade in the old town
Sunday 25	12 noon and 6 pm	Tastings in Piazza Castello
Sunday 25	4:30-5:30 pm	Sud Street Band, circus and street performers in Piazza Castello and Piazza Margherita
Sunday 25	6:30 pm	Music in Piazza Castello

On Saturday and Sunday the Museo Civico inside the Ventimiglia castle is open from 10 am to 7 pm, last entry 15 minutes before closing (phone 0921 671211). If you have an hour between tastings, it is the closest thing to do: the tasting square is the castle square. The castle’s history is in our guide to the castles of the Madonie.

The Festa dei Sapori Madoniti programme in Petralia Sottana

The festival website says the programme is being updated. The full one was published by Madoniedintorni on 15 October; here are the main events.

Day	Time	What and where
Friday 23	5 pm	Play “La forza delle donne” by the Gli Instabili company from Trinità, Cine Teatro Grifeo
Friday 23	7 pm	Stalls open along corso Paolo Agliata, music in piazza Gramsci
Friday 23	8 pm	Opening of the “Affreschi di Luce” projection mapping, piazzetta Municipio
Friday 23	10 pm	Gli Sguazzacannati, piazza Umberto I
Saturday 24	9 am	Hike with the CAI on the Sentiero Italia, booking required
Saturday 24	10 am	Stalls open
Saturday 24	8 pm and 10 pm	Vanova’s Band in piazzetta Municipio, Sirah etnoband in piazza Umberto I
Sunday 25	8:45 am	Literary walk to the Catarratti hydroelectric power station, meeting point at the Santa Lucia sports pitches
Sunday 25	10 am	Stalls open, roaming folk quintet
Sunday 25	12 noon	Tasting of agnolotti and fassona beef tartare from the twin town of Trinità (Cuneo), corso Paolo Agliata
Sunday 25	from 3 pm	Contradanza, ballroom dancing and karaoke in piazza Umberto I

The Saturday hike goes to the San Brancato bridge, the Sant’Otiero geosite and the centuries-old chestnut grove of Taccarelle. Meet at 9 am at the entrance of the new hospital, back by lunchtime, book with the tourist office.

On all three days the church of San Francesco and the Badia (church of the Santissima Trinità) are open, and the Museo civico Antonio Collisani is open from 9:30 am to 8 pm. Guided tours of the old town start from the museum, on Saturday at 10 am, 11:30 am and 3 pm and on Sunday at 10 am, 11 am and 2 pm, booking on 0921 641811.

With children there is the free workshop “Uova, farina e fantasia” on Sunday from 10 am at the Centro Assunta Rinaldi: kids make acieddi cu l’ova, a traditional biscuit, from age 3 up, booking on 347 067 6217.

Can you do both?

By car, yes. From Castelbuono to Petralia Sottana it is about 38 km and 42 minutes: take the SS286 up to the junction with the SS120 and continue towards Petralia Sottana. That is our calculation with OSRM on OpenStreetMap, without traffic. On festival weekend, allow extra time for parking.

Two ways to plan it, depending on what you care about most:

• Saturday, a walk and a tasting. Morning in Petralia Sottana, with the CAI hike or a guided tour and a round of the stalls. In the afternoon drive down to Castelbuono for the 6 pm tasting and stay for the evening in Piazza Castello.
• A full Sunday. Morning in Castelbuono with the 10:30 parade, the stalls and the noon tasting. In the afternoon head to Petralia Sottana, where the stalls stay open and there is dancing in piazza Umberto I from 3 pm.

If you want to know which mushrooms end up on the plates, and the rules for picking them, read our guide to mushrooms in the Madonie. The other festivals of the year are in the calendar of food festivals in the Madonie.

Getting there without a car

Sunday is the problem. According to the “Come raggiungerci” page of the Funghi Fest, there are no buses from Palermo or Cefalù to Castelbuono on Sunday, and none back.

On Saturday there are buses, but the published times do not allow a day trip from Palermo:

Route	Saturday
Palermo → Castelbuono	2:30 pm, 6:30 pm
Castelbuono → Palermo	5:40 am, 2:30 pm
Cefalù → Castelbuono	7:45 am, 11 am, 1:30 pm, 2:10 pm, 3:25 pm, 5:30 pm, 7:30 pm
Castelbuono → Cefalù	5:40 am, 7:05 am, 8:45 am, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:40 pm

From Cefalù you can go and come back the same Saturday: for example, leave at 11 am and return at 4:40 pm. These are the times published by the organisers: check them with the bus company before you set off. For Petralia Sottana the 2026 programmes mention no shuttles or parking: ask the tourist office.

Where to stay and what to do nearby

If you stay overnight, with two festivals on the same weekend it pays to book early. See the lists of where to stay in Castelbuono and where to stay in Petralia Sottana.

Late October is also foliage season. Between Castelbuono and Piano Battaglia there is the Bosco di Castelbuono from Piano Sempria, and where to see the autumn colours is explained in our guide to the beech woods in autumn. Before you leave, check the weather in Castelbuono and in Petralia Sottana, with the forecast for the coming days.