Wild Herbs Food Festival: Autumn Flavours, Cooking & Fermentation

A different kind of autumn food festival

Autumn in Italy is the season of food festivals. Pumpkins, chestnuts, mushrooms, polenta and local specialities become the focus of events that bring together food, traditions and communities.

But there is something else that grows all around us, often unnoticed: wild herbs.

For generations, wild plants have been part of traditional Italian cooking, gathered according to local knowledge and used in simple everyday recipes. Rediscovering them today means reconnecting with nature, seasonality and the knowledge behind the food we eat.

Before gathering, learn to recognise

Learning about wild herbs does not simply mean walking into a meadow and picking whatever looks edible. The first step is recognition.

Understanding how to identify a plant, knowing when it grows and learning how it can be used in the kitchen completely changes the way we look at the natural environment around us.

Wild herbs are also fascinating from a culinary perspective. They introduce different flavours, textures and seasonal ingredients, while reconnecting modern cooking with local traditions.

From nature to the table

The most interesting part begins when the plants we have learned to recognise make their way into the kitchen.

Wild herbs can become ingredients for simple recipes, traditional dishes, side dishes and new combinations. Their value is not about considering them miraculous foods, but about bringing greater variety to plant-based ingredients and rediscovering a cuisine connected to seasonality.

Getting to know more ingredients, varying what we eat and rediscovering traditional preparations can help us build a more conscious relationship with food.

The Wild Herbs Food Festival on Lake Comabbio

This is the idea behind the Wild Herbs Food Festival, an autumn event at Oasi Gaia on Lake Comabbio, dedicated to wild herbs, cooking and fermentation.

On Sunday, 1 November 2026, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, the day follows a simple path: discover, gather, cook, ferment.

This is not simply a tasting event. It is a hands-on day designed to help you learn through experience.

Wild herbs, recipes and fermentation

During the day, we will explore how to recognise and gather wild herbs before bringing them into the kitchen and discovering different ways to use them.

There will also be a dedicated fermentation workshop, including the preparation of sauerkraut and practical techniques that can be recreated at home.

Fermentation adds another dimension to the experience. It is not only a traditional way of preserving food, but also a way of transforming simple ingredients and introducing fermented foods into a varied and conscious approach to cooking.

A day to eat, learn and take something home

Lunch and shared tastings are part of the experience, together with recipes and techniques that you can continue using in your own kitchen.

Everyone will also receive a milk kefir starter and the recipe, giving you a practical starting point for continuing your fermentation journey at home.

The idea is simple: you should not leave having only enjoyed a pleasant day. You should leave with new knowledge and practical tools that you can actually use.

For people who love nature, food and a happy gut

The Wild Herbs Food Festival is for anyone curious about the food they eat, interested in natural and vegetarian cooking, keen to rediscover traditional knowledge surrounding wild plants, or simply fascinated by fermentation and the relationship between food and gut wellbeing.

You do not need to be an expert in botany or fermentation. In fact, the whole point is to start with curiosity and learn through experience.

1 November 2026: see you at Oasi Gaia

The Wild Herbs Food Festival takes place on Sunday, 1 November 2026, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at Oasi Gaia, on Lake Comabbio.

An autumn day to slow down, look more closely at what grows around us and rediscover the simplest journey of all: from nature to the table.

Discover. Gather. Cook. Ferment.

Booking is required.