Cisano Bird Festival Breaks Records with 70,000 Visitors Lauded for Success
What a festival that “the birds” of Cisano in the new millennium has set new records. Well-informed sources talk about 40,000 portions including tripe, risottos, quails with polenta, and more. Beer also flowed in abundance. Likewise, wine and soft drinks were consumed over just five days by an estimated seventy thousand people. So, was it a true success in every aspect?
Results and Impressions
“I’ve never seen so many people,”
admits Alberto Salvetti, president of the Sagra Association, founded in 1993. “This demonstrates that the event, even with the changing times, has managed to carve out a clear place in the landscape of bird fairs.” An event that was thought to be doomed about ten years ago: subjected to protests and investigations from environmentalists and police raids?
“All we can do is thank those who challenged us over the years,”
says Salvetti, “<...>because it is also thanks to them that the ‘sagra dei osei’ has been revived. I say this without bitterness, but with the awareness that certain actions or unfounded reports have only served to persuade those in charge of the validity of our work to radically transform the Cisano festival, adapting to changing regulations.”
Factors of Success
Returning to the just-concluded edition, what were the determining factors for its full success?
September 8, the highlight of the festival, which fell on a Saturday, and the wonderful September weather. Additionally,
as the president emphasizes, “the focus on quality: both for musical entertainment and the gastronomy, supported by a good group of volunteers.”
On the stage of the theatre-tent, in fact, five evenings saw performances by highly popular orchestras: from that of “Titti Bianchi” to “Ciccio De Matteo”; from Gianruggero’s ensemble to the big names in folk dance with Ruggero Scanduzzi’s show orchestra, and ending the other evening with I Magnifici.
“To this, we also add,”
intervienes Salvetti, “<...>the excellent cuisine featuring local traditional dishes offered by the restaurants and our association.”
Expansion and Tradition
The leap in quality was triggered when the festival expanded from the historic center of the pieve to cover the entire riva Palafitte area, with parking and space for various markets and exhibitions. In particular, for the exchange of native and exotic specimens, in collaboration with the Associazione Ornitologica Scaligera, as well as for the bonsai exhibition organized by the Montebaldo Bonsai Club, which characterized the two days of Saturday and Sunday.
“The festival is respected even in its tradition,”
says Salvetti with satisfaction, “<...>including the beautiful competition among the best spring birds, which this year was expanded to include the fanello, with hopes of increasing the number of species in the future. There’s no MP3 that can match the song of a tordina, a thrush, or a lark.”
