Recco Focaccia Festival 2025: Everything You Need to Know About Liguria’s Tastiest Event

The Recco Focaccia Festival 2025 returns this year with a full programme of tastings, open bakeries, focaccia-themed challenges, and hundreds of visitors ready to fill the town centre.

It’s one of Liguria’s most anticipated food events, attracting enthusiasts, curious travellers, and food lovers from all over Italy. The festival celebrates a unique IGP product through tradition, craftsmanship, and direct involvement of the public. At the heart of it all is the freshly baked Recco cheese focaccia, offered free of charge by participating bakeries.

What Is the Recco Focaccia Festival and Why You Shouldn’t Miss It

The Recco Focaccia Festival is a one-day event dedicated to one of Liguria’s most iconic food products. Every year, on the last Sunday of May, the centre of Recco becomes an open-air laboratory where visitors can taste freshly baked focaccia, take part in events, discover recipes, watch the artisans at work, and immerse themselves in a long-standing local tradition.

It’s worth attending because it’s a unique chance to witness how an entire town comes together around a shared culinary heritage. It’s not just about eating—it’s about connecting with a culture made of passed-down gestures, community, and local identity. People come for the flavour, of course, but also for the atmosphere: real, lively, and unfiltered.

What You Should Know About Recco Cheese Focaccia (IGP)

Recco’s cheese focaccia (Focaccia di Recco col formaggio IGP) is a baked specialty made with simple ingredients: soft wheat flour, water, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and fresh cheese. It contains no yeast and stands out for its handmade preparation, which requires both skill and precision. The dough is rolled out paper-thin, filled with cheese, and topped with a second layer of dough. After baking at high heat, the top becomes lightly crispy while the inside remains soft and perfectly melted.

It’s not to be confused with traditional Genoese focaccia. The main difference is in texture: Genoese focaccia is thick, soft, and leavened, often topped with oil and salt. Recco’s version is flat, unleavened, and encloses the cheese between two thin layers—completely different in both taste and bite.

Authenticity is guaranteed by the Consortium of Recco Cheese Focaccia, which protects the original recipe and monitors its production. Only authorised bakeries and restaurants located in Recco, Camogli, Sori, and Avegno can use the IGP label. This European certification protects the focaccia from imitations and ensures each tray meets established quality standards.

When Is the Recco Focaccia Festival 2025?

The Recco Focaccia Festival 2025 will take place on Sunday 25 May. As always, the event will liven up the town centre throughout the day, with activities starting in the morning and continuing into the late afternoon.

Main activities are held around Piazza Nicoloso, Via XX Settembre, Piazza San Giovanni Bono, Piazza Gastaldi, and surrounding streets. Participating bakeries will offer free tastings and live demonstrations. The first focaccia tastings begin around 10:00 am, while the famous cheese focaccia is prepared and served hot from 2:30 pm onwards.

The day also features side events, performances, and crowd-favourite competitions like the “No Limits Challenge” and the “Scianka” game. Entry is free and no booking is required.

What to Expect: Events, Tastings and Focaccia Challenges

The Recco Focaccia Festival 2025 is designed for everyone—families, food lovers, tourists, and locals. The entire day revolves around the free distribution of focaccia in all its versions, alongside competitions, live shows, entertainment, and community experiences.

Free Cheese Focaccia for Everyone

The most anticipated moment is the free tasting of the IGP cheese focaccia, starting around 2:30 pm at several locations in the town centre. It’s made on the spot by participating bakers, baked in large trays, and served hot to the crowd. From 10:00 am, you can also try classic variations: plain focaccia, onion focaccia, or focaccia with olives.

Spectacular Challenges: No Limits and Scianka

Some of the festival’s most entertaining moments are the public challenges. The No Limits Challenge, organised by Tossini Bakery, is a timed contest where participants eat as much focaccia as they can in just 30 seconds. The Scianka, created by Moltedo Bakery, is a playful competition where participants pull out pieces from a stacked focaccia tower—think of it as a culinary Jenga. Both games attract a crowd every year with their mix of humour and healthy competition.

Tastings, Open Bakeries and Historic Artisans

Throughout the event, Recco’s bakers open their workshops to the public, showing how the dough is prepared, stretched, and baked. Tastings are free and available at multiple locations in town. Historic bakeries like Tossini and Moltedo, together with other consortium members, offer a unique chance to discover the techniques behind a tradition passed down through generations.

How to Get to Recco and Where to Park During the Festival

If you're staying at Hotel Astoria in Genoa (explore our offers!), getting to the Recco Focaccia Festival is easy and convenient. The hotel is just a short walk from Genova Brignole Station, where direct trains regularly depart for Recco. The train ride takes about 25 minutes, with frequent service throughout the day.

Alternatively, AMT buses also run between Genoa and Recco, with a travel time of 30–40 minutes, depending on traffic.

Although reaching Recco by car is possible, we recommend avoiding this option during the festival due to the large number of visitors and limited parking availability. Public transport is the best way to enjoy the event stress-free.

Parking Info and Sustainable Mobility

During the festival, Recco implements measures to promote sustainable transport and reduce environmental impact. Dedicated parking areas with discounted rates are set up outside the town centre, and shuttle buses connect them to the event area.

The festival is certified as an Ecofesta, meaning that tastings and food stands use biodegradable and compostable materials.

If you do choose to arrive by car, make sure to check the official event website or visit the Pro Loco Info Point in Recco for up-to-date information on parking options and any road restrictions.