Castle of Polpenazze Hosts Organic, Cultural, and Art Festival Weekend
A Weekend in the Castle in direct contact not only with organic products but also with art, culture, music, and various entertainment. This is the proposal that “Aprile” Cultural Association, in collaboration with the “La Torre” group and under the sponsorship of the federation Associazioni Gardesane Cultura Ambiente and the Lombard Association of Organic Farmers “La Buona Terra”, offers for Saturday, August 11 and Sunday, August 12 at the castle of Polpenazze, already the venue of the traditional Wine Fair.
Celebrating Organic and Gardesana Culture
This celebration, now in its third edition, has established as its main theme “Bio.” “On Garda, summer shows are held for tourists,” explains Marino Bortolotti, coordinator of the event, “but we wanted to propose something different, not just a gastronomic gathering or a fleeting entertainment, but a festival that also stimulates reflection.
A celebration, because we did not want to abandon the rhythms of a traditional festival – with spit-roasted food and an evening music show – but also an invitation to think about some issues of Gardesana culture, that is, the culture created by those who live and work in our land.
Culture, understood as – continues Bortolotti – the study and enhancement of the environment and history of Garda, cannot, on the other hand, ignore a strong connection with organic cultivation, which aims to continue traditional agricultural techniques for the benefit of our territory.
On one side, to safeguard the environment, reducing pesticide contamination, and the consumer, increasingly exposed to products of questionable quality. But also for the future qualification of the Gardesana region – concludes Marino Bortolotti – as an ecological niche for typical products, especially oil and wine.
Confirming the economic viability of these crops means helping to protect the environment and our cultural identity.”
The Festival Program
The “Festival” will start at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, with the opening of the “Bio” stalls featuring various products, from handicrafts to agriculture. At 5:30 p.m., the Group Exhibition of painters connected to Polpenazze will be inaugurated.
At 6:00 p.m., in the parish chapel, “Viandanze” will present the theatrical storytelling for children “L’inventore di sogni”, narrated by Fausto Ghirardini.
At 7:00 p.m., the gastronomic stand will open with strictly organic products, including spit-roasted meat. At 9:00 p.m., there will be an event with “Hosterie e poesia”, a table service of poetry, stories, jokes, witty remarks, and music in the Brescia dialect, always presented by “Viandanze”.
Sunday morning, starting at 9:30 a.m., the product stalls will reopen. At 11:00 a.m., a conference will be held in the council chamber on the topic “Agriculture and GMOs”. Following that, at 1:00 p.m., the gastronomic stand will reopen.
At 6:30 p.m., the program features musical entertainment with Sisto and his Accordion, leading to the reopening of the gastronomic stand.
The final event, which will conclude this 3rd Castle Festival on a Summer Evening, is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. with “Castellan Storytellers”, performed by Wainer Mazza and “Ciarina”.