St George's mushroom festival and Shepherd's days

St. George's mushroom

Original name: Sagra del Prugnolo e giornate del pastore

Place: Pieve Santo Stefano, in Arezzo province, high Tiber river valley area.

First year of the festival: 2003

Period: first weekend of May

2023 scheduled on: from Friday May 26 to Sunday May 28

Opening times: Saturday, from 9.30 am till dinner; Sunday, from 9 am till dinner

Local Specialties:

• Appetizers: Ravioli di patate fritti, fried potatoes ravioli;
• First courses - Tortelli di patate alla lastra, tortelli pasta with potatoes;
• One course meal - Polenta ai prugnoli, polenta with St George's mushroom.

Way less noble than the famous Porcini mushroom (fungo porcino or simply porcino in Italian language), the St George's mushroom has nevertheless many estimators; some sagras are dedicated to this mushroom, in Italian language prugnolo.

As in Pieve Santo Stefano, in the middle of the high Tiber river valley, where the arrival of spring brings on a great feast, with a local agricultural producers' market (open from around 9 am), arts and culture expos, sport games, ballroom dance; and, on Sunday at 11 am in piazza della Collegiata, the Transhumance, with livestock and shepherds passing through the village.

From 4 pm on Saturday and 11.30 am on Sunday, at the food stands it will be possible to taste some great recipes with prugnolo mushroom: the unmissable polenta with prugnolo mushroom - don't miss it! -, fried ravioli potatoes, and the potatoes tortelli, an always welcome first course, popular in many Tuscan areas. A dinner is also on scheduled both on Saturday and Sunday, but it's on reservation, at fixed price 25 euro and a sumptuous menu (in case you are interested in the dinner tel. 328 4871350 in Italian language, phone to reserve before May, 4).