‘Full of zesty colour and flavour’: readers’ favourite food festivals in Europe

From the Tiramisù World Cup in Italy to street food ‘battles’ in Newcastle, your culinary highlights range from the sublime to the delicious • Tell us about a book that inspired you to travel – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays break The town of Menton on the French Riviera is beautiful at any time of the year but becomes even more of a treat during the annual Lemon festival (Fête du Citron, 10-28 February 2027). Its microclimate, courtesy of the Alps to the north blocking colder winds, gives Menton lemons a distinct fragrance, flavour and quality that set them apart. For me, the event transformed a damp cold UK winter into a fortnight of colour, taste and light.

There were food tastings, salads made with lemons, tarts, cakes and pies all full of zesty colour and flavour at stalls and markets in the town. There are sculptures made from citrus fruit, parades and exhibitions in the Golden Garden of Light (Jardins Biovès). More than a food festival, it’s a celebration of what nature can give to the world.

April View image in fullscreen Mazzola/ Last autumn, I discovered there is an annual Tiramisù World Cup.

I was staying in Treviso (the lovely town near Venice where the dessert originated) during the three-day event featuring tastings, demonstrations from local chefs and a judging contest involving the public. There’s also folk music in the streets, and restaurants offer promotional prices on set meals from about €20 for two courses. In fact, sitting in a mini gondola, prosecco in one hand, bowl of tiramisu in the other, gliding along a canal past ornate houses while the distant snow-capped mountains of the Dolomites sparkled in the sunshine, certainly aided my appetite for food and life.

Peter Every week we ask our readers for recommendations from their travels. A selection of tips will be featured online and may appear in print. To enter the latest competition visit the readers' tips homepage View image in fullscreen The Gota Cotta festival takes place in the village of Colle di Val d’Elsa.

Bachmann/Alamy The Gota Cotta festival in Tuscany (4 October) is a celebration of local meat – pork cheeks. It was a niche product, falling out of favour, but a group of local butchers created the festival to celebrate the local delicacy. It takes over the medieval hilltop town of Colle di Val d’Elsa in Siena province with stalls selling everything from pasta to gelato – all made with pork cheek.

There’s also excellent wine and craft beers … all in the most beautiful setting. Rebecca Nicholl View image in fullscreen Models made from onions on display at the Bern onion fair. Scott/Alamy I stumbled across Zibelemärit, Bern’s annual onion fair, on a chilly November morning.

The old town was packed with farmers selling beautifully braided onions, garlic and seasonal produce. The streets were filled with tempting aromas from stalls frying onion tarts and serving steaming bowls of onion soup and cafes selling sweet onion-shaped pastries. A mug of warming glühwei n was the perfect accompaniment.