“La Dolcissima!” - Breme Red Onion Festival
2 minutes
In June, the weekends in Breme become tastier to celebrate the “Dolcissima”, a red onion which has been produced in Breme for generations and now bears the De.Co mark (municipal denomination of origin). This gastronomic event started out as a small local event and over the years has become a real reference point for gastronauts and chefs from Italy and beyond, in search of new inspiration.
Each year, the festival aims to promote a small but precious product from the area's short supply chain. It does so by embracing the culinary tradition of the Lomellina Valley, with its generous recipes: the “dolcissima” is the queen of the menus prepared for the occasion and is paired with tripe, typical stews, grilled meats and the ever-present omelette, the true must of the festival!
An exceptional curriculum for a unique product
Since 2014, the local red onion variety has been part of the Paniere Pavese (Pavia's product basket), promoted by the Province, and since the same year it has been enrolled in the National Register of Ancient Horticultural Varieties for Preservation, the first in the entire Region of Lombardy. It is also a Slow Food Presidium since 2020.
All these recognitions only confirm the excellence of a product with unique characteristics: a sweet and delicate flavour, high digestibility and irresistible crunchiness! Precisely because of its sweetness, the Breme red onion lends itself to sweet and sour experiments and you can find it even in jams, ice cream and desserts!
Not only onions: art and nature in the Pavia area of rivers
Side events at the festival also include in-depth studies on the red onion cultivation chain, stands dedicated to local handicrafts, and photographic and pictorial exhibitions dedicated to Pavia's landscapes. But these days of celebration and sharing become a precious opportunity to discover the territory of the Lomellina Valley.
Beyond the onion fields, the area just outside Breme offers magical scenery and numerous routes along the rivers, where the Sesia flows into the Po. Precisely during the festival, the initiative 'Ti presto la bici' (I'll lend you my bike) is on, allowing everyone to rent a bike free of charge to set out and discover these small oases of tranquility on the border between Lombardy and Piedmont.
