Lentil Festival

Santo Stefano di Sessanio, first week of September
Every year in September, the beautiful village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio hosts the traditional “Lentil Festival.”
The event celebrates the typical legume of this small village, characterized by its diameter of just a few millimeters and dark brown color, cultivated between 1,300–1,400 m in the heart of Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park.
To offer a healthy and genuine product, as is customary, the festival takes place the first weekend of September, when the freshly harvested lentils are ready to be enjoyed.
The Santo Stefano di Sessanio lentil is a legume typical of the foothill area of Gran Sasso d’Italia and particularly of the Santo Stefano di Sessanio territory, in the province of L’Aquila. It is included among traditional Abruzzo food products and among Slow Food presidia.
The production area of the Santo Stefano di Sessanio lentil includes the municipalities of Barisciano, Calascio, Castel del Monte, Castelvecchio Calvisio, and Santo Stefano di Sessanio, all in the province of L’Aquila. Cultivation can only be carried out on land between 1,150 and 1,600 meters.