No fruit screams summer quite like the strawberry.  Nemi, a quaint town in the beautiful Castelli Romani region 30 kilometers south of Rome, holds an annual festival in honor of these juicy, refreshing heart-shaped berries.

Every year since 1922, Nemi residents have dedicated the first Sunday of June to strawberry celebration.  Strawberry streamers float over pedestrians who roam the picturesque streets in search of anything and everything strawberry at the various shops and cafes offering more than 1000 preparations, from pizza to pastries to granita to consume on the spot. They stock up on jams, syrups, fragolino wine, crème di fragola liquors, teas and more.

Although the fruit is primarily harvested in May, the festival kicks off in June and the week-long program includes a mass and a blessing of the fruit. Le fragolare, female strawberry gatherers dressed in traditional garb–red skirt, black bodice, white top and a mandrucella atop their heads—distribute free strawberries to passers-by. The festivities include music, dancing and good times, and carry on until the end of the month.

This year’s festival—the 83rd edition—got underway on May 28th and goes until Sunday, June 5.  Can’t make it this year? Don’t worry, perhaps you can plan a trip to Rome next year around the strawberry festivities!!!!