Tasting event on January 5, 2023 in the Messina area
The Nebrodi Black Pig Festival which takes place in Longi, a municipality in the metropolitan city of Messina, on January 5, 2023, is in its XXIV edition. The event includes the tasting of various typical products, a musical show and entertainment for children. Gastronomic excellences are produced with the native black pig in this town also called one of the four mushroom towns, thanks to the abundance of mushrooms that characterizes the mountainous area surrounding the ancient rural village.
The municipality of Longi is part of the Nebrodi Park, the largest protected natural area in Sicily, where, among lush woods, lives an ancient breed of pigs that is raised in a semi-wild and wild state. Even the preparations that are obtained from it are processed and transformed through processes that are not industrial ones, making the cured meats and other typical products obtained excellent food. The meats are distinguished by flavor, softness and aromatic intensity.
Event programme
The traditional lighting of the propitiatory fires, the tasting party of the typical products obtained from the special local black pig, games for children and Sicilian music show with entertainment are scheduled for the event of January 5, 2023 organized thanks to the Municipality of Longi, the Sicilian Region and the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Mediterranean Fishing. Below is the detailed timetable of the 24th Nebrodi Black Pig Festival, which will take place in Piazza Generale Moriondo.
- Starting at 19.00: various tasting of products such as raw ham, porchetta, lard.
- From 19.00: entertainment for children.
- 10.00 pm: musical show with “Piccola Orchestra Malarazza”.
The territory of Longi
The mountain agricultural center of Longi, covering 42.1 square kilometers, is located in agricultural region no. 2 (north-western Nebrodi), on a natural terrace on which the Rocche del Castro stand out: the territory ranges from 250 to 1727 meters above sea level. The Mangalaviti Wood represents a unique ecosystem where streams flow and beech, maple and ash trees, Nebrodi firs and yew trees thrive, as well as Nebrodi wildlife. The Mangalaviti houses are an old farmhouse and currently a rural centre. The Stretta di Longi is a deep gorge dug by a tributary of the Fitalia river, the Milè stream. The cultivations are those of cereals and wheat in the mountain area, and of hazelnuts, olives, chestnuts and grapes in the hills, even if it is the breeding of cattle, sheep, pigs and horses that drives the local economy.
There are four hamlets in the town: Crocetta, Filipelli, Pado and Stazzone. Among the places of interest in the town, dominated by a medieval castle, we find the mother church of San Michele Arcangelo, in Piazza Umberto I, which was rebuilt on a pre-existing medieval church, of which the cusp bell tower remains. Inside are kept a marble Madonna attributed to Gagini, a precious Ecce Homo carved in Baroque wood by Fra Umile da Petralia and some eighteenth-century oil-painted canvases. Another marble Madonna of the Gaginian school is located in the Church of the Annunziata, in Piazza Generale Moriondo. In the Petagna Naturalistic Museum, in Via Vittorio Veneto, about five hundred photographs of plants, insects, flowers, mushrooms and animals of the Fitalia valley are exhibited.
How to reach Longi
To get to Longi, which is located 18 kilometers away from the Rocca di Capri Leone junction of the A20 Palermo – Messina motorway, you must take the provincial road 157 after the aforementioned motorway junction.
To reach Sicily by car there is the possibility of embarking with a vehicle on one of the ferries to Palermo, from where the town is 152.1 kilometers away (about two hours by road).
Livorno – Palermo ferry trips have a journey time of 19 hours and 30 minutes. You can choose to spend the journey on deck or book a seat or a standard or superior cabin. In January there are three departures a week: by clicking on the link indicated, departure dates and times can be consulted and it is possible, before proceeding with the purchase of the ticket online, to receive a no-obligation quote. Prices change according to the type of accommodation chosen on board and obviously to the number of passengers and the vehicle.
Another solution is represented by the ship to Messina, from where Longi is 107.9 kilometers away (an hour and a half driving).
The Salerno – Messina ferry runs are daily and have a duration of 9 hours. The link shows days, departure times and prices, which change according to the type of accommodation (deck passage, armchair or single, double, triple or quadruple cabin) and the size of the vehicle, if you choose to add a car to the ticket.
