Photo-guide to Pelago's Wild boar, tortelli pasta and grilled meat festival

Pelago, a quiet village about 20 km (12 miles) from Florence. It's located rather high at an elevation of 300 mt (1000 ft) and it has a population of about 7700.

Pelago

It can be sometimes a little challenging to find the place where the sagra is organized. Pay attention to the big or small signs, usually displayed to help visitors reaching the festical. Here in this image a crossroad near the center of Pelago; you can notice on the right, a green poster placed there by the organizers with information about the event's place.

Pelago

Getting closer to the temporary poster.

Pelago

Such signs will be removed when the sagra is finished. During the sagra, these road signs show the path to the place where the sagra is held. In this case, you have other information, the distance still to go, 800 meters, to the "campo sportivo comunale", the Municipal sports field, where the sagra is held.

Pelago

Here we are! Another green poster is placed near the entrance to the sagra.

Pelago

It's a sunny day and so it's possible to have dinner outside. In the image, the tables reserved for the festival's visitors.

Pelago

But first, search to the sagra menu. It's often placed in a big poster somewhere near the cash. You can then take your time to read and to choose what to eat, before arriving to the cash.

Pelago

A nice note: “i tortelli sono fatti da NOI! Buon appetito!” ... in English, “tortelli are hand made by US! Enjoy your meal!” ... a proud reminder to the sagra visitors: here in Pelago, the good ancient cooking tradition is respected!

Pelago

Near the big menu poster, on a table, many papers with the same menu and some pens; you can fill yourself the menu, this will save your time and help the queue to the cash to flow faster.

Pelago

Queue can be short or long, it depends! Remember to arrive rather early, around 7 or 7.30 pm, to avoid a long wait. Here, the queue isn't specially long. The cash is the wooden small hut in the back.

Pelago

After paying at the cash, you'll get a recipe. Now it's time to find a table! In this sagra, some tables are small with few chairs, other tables are longer, for many people but, no ceremonies! You're at a sagra and as long there is a free place, you can sit also in a table with other people. Just search for a place, sit and,  in some minutes a volunteer waiter will arrive to take your receipt. If no waiters notice you, try to get their attention!

Pelago

With the wine, the volunteer brings a basket full of the essential, indispensable Tuscan bread. With the extra virgin olive oil, the Tuscan bread is the base of Tuscan cuisine. Its special taste also comes from the complete absence of salt, thus making it perfect with Tuscan sliced meat, or second course dishes, rather salty and very savory.

Pelago

Each table has a number, here number 25. "La Banduccia" is the name of the promoter of the sagra; actually, a hunting group.

Pelago

The first dish arrives: tortelli al sugo di cinghiale, tortelli with wild boar sauce!

Pelago

Tortelli are stuffed with potatoes, tomato, garlic and persil. In this image, the tortelli dish is with a rich wild boar sauce, but other sauces are common too, as ragù di carne, meat sauce with veal.

Pelago

As second course, peposo di cinghiale. It's a traditional stew from Impruneta, a small village near Florence, but the original recipe is made with veal meat. So this wild boar peposo is a change to the traditional dish. The taste is wonderful!

Pelago

We choose the local red wine, it's a sangiovese, the most traditional grape in Tuscany. Pelago has a long and glorious wine history, and even this simple, "table" wine will turn out to be more than satisfactory, and perfect with the wild boar!

Pelago