Mercato delle Gaite
For ten days each June, Bevagna splits into four competing medieval quarters — the Gaite — and the entire town transforms into a living 13th-century market that is part street theatre, part serious craft demonstration. Artisans make parchment, weave silk, blow glass and brew candles using documented medieval techniques, and the smell of woodsmoke and beeswax drifts through every alley.
What Actually Happens
Each of the four Gaite (San Giorgio, San Pietro, San Giovanni, Santa Maria) sets up workshops in its own neighbourhood streets, staffed by residents in hand-stitched period costume. You can watch a hemp-rope maker at work, buy a sheet of parchment scraped from goatskin, or taste spiced wine (ippocrasso) ladled from a clay pot — all sourced and prepared according to medieval Umbrian recipes.
The competitive element is real: at the end of the festival a jury scores each Gaita on historical accuracy, and the rivalry between neighbourhoods is fierce enough to keep standards genuinely high year after year.
Practical Tips for Attending
The festival runs the last ten days of June; exact dates shift slightly each year so check the official Mercato delle Gaite website (mercatodellegaite.it) in spring. An entry wristband (around €10–12) covers all workshops for the day and is excellent value.
Book accommodation in Bevagna or nearby Foligno at least three months ahead — the town's handful of small hotels and agriturismi fill completely. Arriving on a weekday evening rather than a weekend afternoon means shorter queues at the most popular craft stalls.
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