On January 17th, many towns celebrate Saint Anthony. On this day, farmers bring their animals into the churches for blessings, which is an event to watch in and of itself. However, each of these towns also lights a massive bonfire in their main piazza on that evening. The largest we have seen is the one in Bagnaia, about 8 miles from Soriano. However, the one in Soriano is extremely impressive, too.

In 2006, we were in Soriano for this festival. Late into the night, a large group started bringing sausages, pancetta and steaks into Piazza and started a massive Italian BBQ at the base of the bonfire. Anyone that showed up was welcome to the party. It lasted until 2:00 in the morning. It was freezing cold outside as we all kept comfortably warm next to the fire.