What do you absolutely recommend I try?
Assolutamente: as-so-loo-tah-MEN-teh. Five syllables — stress on the fifth from the end.
At any Italian food festival. Local volunteers and food stall keepers will be delighted to guide you to the best dish — and their recommendations are always reliable.
Cosa mi consiglia is 'what do you recommend to me' — formal (Lei). Di assaggiare means 'to taste'. Assolutamente adds enthusiasm — 'what should I absolutely try'.
Qual è la specialità che fanno solo qui?
What is the specialty they make only here?
Emphasising the local exclusivity.
C'è qualcosa che non si trova al ristorante?
Is there something you can't find at a restaurant?
Sagra food is often home-recipe, never restaurant-style.
Cosa prende lei?
What are you having?
Informal way to mirror the local choice — always the safest bet.
Sagra food is governed by an unwritten but ironclad rule: the recipe must come from the local tradition, made the way nonne (grandmothers) made it. Modernisations are viewed with suspicion. The volunteer cooks at the best sagre have often been making the same dish for 30-40 years.