Stroncatura Food Festival 2026 in Palmi

Piazzetta del Soccorso · Palmi, Costa Viola, Calabria

10 August 2026

The Stroncatura Food Festival returns to Palmi (RC) on Monday 10 August 2026, from 7:00pm, in Piazzetta del Soccorso, in the heart of the old town. Organised by the Fogghi di Luna Cultural Association as part of the 2026 Agosto Palmese programme, the evening celebrates stroncatura, the humble bran pasta of the Gioia Tauro plain once made from wheat-milling leftovers. Admission is free; tastings of the dish, traditionally dressed with anchovies, garlic, oil, toasted breadcrumbs and chilli, are available for purchase at the stalls.

The 2026 Stroncatura Food Festival

The Stroncatura Food Festival returns to Palmi (RC) on Monday 10 August 2026, from 7:00pm, in Piazzetta del Soccorso, one of the most characteristic corners of the old town. The event is organised by the Fogghi di Luna Cultural Association and is part of the 2026 Agosto Palmese programme, the series of events that fills the town throughout the month. Admission is free: tastings of stroncatura and the other products are paid for directly at the stalls. It is an evening designed to blend Calabrian culinary tradition with the convivial atmosphere of the square.

Stroncatura, a pasta born of poverty

Stroncatura (or struncatura) is a pasta typical of the Gioia Tauro plain and Palmi: rough to the touch and darker than ordinary pasta. It was born as a poor man's dish, once made by working the leftovers of wheat milling and the bran. It was a food of recovery, which farming families dressed with very spicy sauces or salted anchovies to make it more palatable. In every forkful lies the memory of a rural economy that wasted nothing.

From "forbidden" food to a treasure of taste

The story of stroncatura has a surprising twist: in the nineteenth century its sale for human consumption was banned for hygiene reasons. Despite the ban, the pasta continued to be sold almost under the counter in a few shops, becoming a small symbol of culinary resistance. Today the Struncatura of the Gioia Tauro plain is protected and included in Slow Food's Ark of Taste: it is made with wholemeal flours and bran in a safe, controlled way, restoring dignity to a product that risked disappearing.

How to enjoy it: the traditional dressing

At the table, stroncatura comes with an essential, bold dressing that descends from Calabria's cucina povera: anchovies, garlic, olive oil, toasted breadcrumbs and chilli. It is a dish with character, in which the savouriness of the anchovies and the heat of the chilli bring out the rough texture of the pasta, which holds the sauce well. Tasting it in Palmi, in the very area where it was born, means savouring an authentic piece of peasant history rather than a simple first course.

Piazzetta del Soccorso, heart of the old town

The festival takes place in Piazzetta del Soccorso, overlooked by the Church of Maria Santissima del Soccorso. The parish was established on 30 May 1733 and is linked to the famous "miracle of Palmi" of 1533; the present building dates from the 1930s, rebuilt like most of the town's churches after the 1908 earthquake. The little square is an ideal starting point for exploring Palmi on foot: the town of the Varia, a festival recognised as UNESCO heritage, of Monte Sant'Elia and its beaches.

Getting there, where to stay and eat

By car, Palmi is reached from the A2 Mediterranean motorway (former A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria), Palmi exit, then continuing towards the centre. By train, Palmi station is connected to Italy's main cities, with a shuttle service to the centre run by PPM (Piana Palmi Multiservizi). The most convenient airports are Reggio Calabria and Lamezia Terme. For the evening it is best to stay in the old town, so you can reach Piazzetta del Soccorso on foot; and to continue the experience beyond the stalls, take a look at where to eat in Palmi among local trattorias and restaurants.

Frequently asked questions

When and where does the Stroncatura Food Festival take place?

The festival is held on Monday 10 August 2026, starting at 7:00pm, in Piazzetta del Soccorso, in the old town of Palmi (RC).

How much is admission?

Admission is free. Tastings of stroncatura and the other products, however, are paid for at the stalls.

What is stroncatura?

It is a pasta typical of the Gioia Tauro plain and Palmi, rough and darker in colour, born as a poor man's dish from wheat-milling leftovers and today included in Slow Food's Ark of Taste. It is traditionally served with anchovies, garlic, oil, breadcrumbs and chilli.

Who organises the event?

The Stroncatura Food Festival is organised by the Fogghi di Luna Cultural Association and is part of the 2026 Agosto Palmese programme.

How do you get to Palmi?

By car from the A2 motorway (former A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria), Palmi exit; by train to Palmi station, with a shuttle to the centre run by PPM (Piana Palmi Multiservizi); the nearest airports are Reggio Calabria and Lamezia Terme.

Where can you eat and stay in Palmi?

It is best to stay in the old town so you can reach the square on foot. For meals beyond the festival stalls, see our guide on where to eat in Palmi among local trattorias and restaurants.

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