Since the Middle Age, the celebration of Bagnacavallo’s patron saint, the Archangel Michael, was an occasion on which have some special dishes. At the time, cakes consisted of sweet buns made of honey and dried season fruit. Carrying on with the same old tradition and style, but of course with the emprovements that the baking techniques have developed in recent times, local bakers make this cake whose name comes from the patron saint, and they just make it during the week of the feast. Cream with burnt sugar, eggs, sugar, walnut, almonds and pine nut, wisely mixed together, make this cake a delicious dessert, great if served chilled with a glass of raisin wine.
The exact recipe is carefully kept as a secret by the local bakers. The Saint Michael’s cake can be enjoyed exclusively during the celebration of Saint Michael which is held every year in Bagnacavallo around the 29th of September.
St. Michael festival is dedicated to St. Michael Archangel, patron saint of the town (September the 29th), and takes place during the last week of this month.
Its origins are very old: the first documents in which this feast is mentioned date back to 1202. For centuries the most important event has been the Barbary horse race, where three or four fast horses had to cover a distance in the shortest time.
Setting of the festival are the streets, the squares and the most beautiful cornerss of the historical town centre. For five days, Bagnacavallo offers visitors the chance to discover old mansions of nobility, hidden courtyard as well as churches with several works of art.
There are street theatre events, concerts, sacred music in the churches, games and guided tours. Several taverns open on this occasion in evocative places, such as courtyards, cloisters, former convents and mansion houses where it is possible to enjoy the typical cuisine of Romagna or new proposal.
