by Victor Caneva
Last October the sixth edition of the Festa di Cavoli Nostri went off with a bang under brilliant skies in Collina di Forni Avoltri. Collina, a picturesque village in northern Friuli Venezia Giulia, nestled under Mount Coglians, the region’s tallest mountain, is renowned for a unique cabbage only grown there which is the inspiration for this lively festival.
The event’s title, Festa di Cavoli Nostri, is a wonderfully clever take on an Italian idiom which translates to “the celebration of our own business,” but it’s literal meaning is “The party of our cabbages.” For some context on the wordplay, if you wanted to tell somebody to mind their own business in a less than polite (but not crude) way, you could say “fatti i cavoli tuoi!”
Collina’s cabbage has the distinction of being of the few products included in the Presidio Slow Food of FVG, which advocates for prized products of cultural value that are produced in harmony with the environment and local traditions. Luckily for eventgoers, most of the region’s Presidio Slow Food producers, including producers from the Trieste area, were present at the festival and hosted stands where visitors could sample and purchase some of the most treasured products from the FVG region.
Delicious smells were ubiquitous in the village as local establishments like the Staipo da Canobio and Agriturismo Malga Morateto served up Carnian delicacies using locally produced products. The ambiance was enhanced further by spirited music from a regional folk band donning traditional attire and the Carnic Alps, some sporting a fresh dusting of early snow, towering on all sides.
For those interested in learning more about FVG’s gastronomical heritage, thoughtful educational performances and informative guided tastings were also available.
The Festa di Cavoli Nostri may be the festival of Collina’s cabbages (our business!), but it serves the important purpose of championing the unique cultural and culinary value of traditional products from all over our beautiful region. The Festa di Cavoli Nostri is held in Collina di Forni Avoltri during the first or second week of October each year.
