Festa del Tortellino di Castelfranco, 25 minutes from Bologna, is the annual tortellino festival held mid-September in Castelfranco Emilia, the dish hometown.
Editorially verified May 19, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Tip: Free entry; the stalls run 18:00 to midnight across four days. Trains from Bologna Centrale to Castelfranco Emilia run every 30 minutes.
Address: Castelfranco Emilia, 41013 Modena MO, Bologna
C'è Più Gusto at Palazzo Re Enzo in Bologna is the annual mid-October food and culinary culture festival with stars of Italian and international cuisine.
Tip: Free entry; ticketed masterclasses sell out a week ahead. Saturday lunch programme is the editorial pick.
Festa della Polenta di Zola Predosa, 15 minutes outside Bologna, is the autumn polenta festival held early November with the slow-cooked polenta.
Tip: Free entry; the stalls run 11:00 to midnight. The Saturday-evening polenta dinner is the order; buses from Bologna run every 30 minutes.
Mortadella Bo in Bologna is the annual mortadella festival held the second weekend of October on Piazza Maggiore, with 30 producers, tastings.
Tip: Free entry; the producers' booths run 10:00-22:00 across three days. The Mortadella IGP world record is held Saturday at 17:00.
SANA at BolognaFiere is Italy's largest organic and natural products trade fair, held four days each September with 700 exhibitors of organic food.
Tip: Trade fair tickets are 25 euros online or 35 at the door; the public day is Sunday and the consumer tasting halls are the most-attended.
Tartufesta in Savigno, 30 minutes outside Bologna, is the autumn white-truffle festival, held the last weekends of October and the first three of November.
Tip: Free entry; the Sunday market in Piazza XV Agosto is the busiest. Reserve trattoria lunch tables three weeks ahead.
