Cisi, Tripa e Carvè – Carnevale a Castiglione d'Asti

Why it's special

The name is Piedmontese for 'chickpeas, tripe and carnival'. The chickpeas are cooked the same way as the village's famous 2 January beans, in cauldrons over a wood fire, and the afternoon is a simple, old-style carnival for children, ending with a round dance about the puppet before it's burned.

Programme · 2026

Organised by the Comune di Asti, the Pro Loco 'La Castiglionese' and the Gruppo Giovani Oratorio at the parish sports ground.

• Chickpeas and tripe are served from 11:00 until sunset, to eat there or take away; take-away is booked a few days ahead on 347 0492581.
• Children should come in costume for the meeting of the masks in the early afternoon.
• It's an outdoor event and can be postponed for bad weather, as in 2025.

Carnival in Castiglione, a hill frazione about five kilometres from Asti, is a village party run by the Pro Loco 'La Castiglionese' with the parish youth group. From late morning the volunteers serve chickpeas with pork ribs, cooked in cauldrons over a wood fire like the village's Fagiolata di San Defendente, and their Trippa alla Castiglionese, to eat on the spot or carry home.

In the afternoon the children arrive in costume. There are group games and the breaking of the pignatte, paper bags of sweets, small toys and confetti, then everyone dances in a ring around the carnival puppet before it goes on the bonfire. Crêpes, hot chocolate and bugie, the Piedmontese carnival fritters, are handed round.

For a bigger carnival funfair, the Luna Park di Carnevale runs in Asti's Piazza Campo del Palio in February.