The nickname of chiocciolai for the residents of San Quirico? Indeed!
And so in the 1960s in conjunction with the Feast of Barbarossa-along with the typical dish par excellence, namely pici (with meat sauce)-a snail festival was also held.
As reported in La Nazione newspaper (June 1, 1967) – as the book “Il Barbarossa – Cronache e protagonisti di una festa” brought to light – Mayor Carlo Sorbellini is asked why the dishes with snails: “the sanquiricans – replies -, are known by the nickname of snail makers, and we decided to have a snail party“.
And so institutional guests, tourists and the Barbarossa audience, in those days could enjoy a typical, tasty, spicy dish accompanied by red wine from the hills of Val d’Orcia. Already at the time, in short, San Quirico d’Orcia combined tourism, food and wine, and historical re-enactment.
Even today in San Quirico you can still enjoy chiocciole with that traditional, spicy sauce in a few restaurants and taverns in the Barbarossa Quarters.
