3 Borders Mountain Festival

One festival, three towns, one shared border

The 3 Borders Mountain Festival is one of the most unique events in the Lazio Apennines: it does not belong to just one town, but to three. The municipalities of Terelle, Casalattico, and Colle San Magno, in the province of Frosinone, organize it jointly at Campo del Popolo, the plateau where their borders touch on the slopes of Monte Cairo, between the Comino Valley and the Liri Valley. Here, on the first Sunday of August, the three communities reunite for a day celebrating a return to nature and the rediscovery of a collective mountain identity.

The spirit of the day

More than just a local festival, this event is a ritual of neighborliness at altitude. Local chronicles describe it as a well-established appointment that has been renewed since the 1990s: in 2022, the twenty-fifth edition was celebrated, while the 2025 summer program of Colle San Magno announced it as the thirty-third — a sign of a deeply rooted tradition, even if counted differently by various sources. The heart of the event remains the same: strengthening the ancient bond between neighboring towns that have shared pastures, trails, and transhumance routes on the slopes of Monte Cairo for centuries.

Typical daily program

The festival's schedule, documented edition after edition by the local press, follows a classic rhythm:

• 8:00 AM — Welcome and opening of the craft market with local producers and artisans;
• 9:00 AM — Symposium on the development of cohesion and collaboration between neighboring municipalities;
• 11:00 AM — Holy Mass celebrated outdoors on the plateau meadow;
• 12:00 PM — Opening of food stalls and community lunch, accompanied by musical entertainment;
• Afternoon — Traditional music, singing, dancing, face painting, and entertainment for children, until closing around 5:00 PM.

Mountain flavors and crafts

The gastronomic aspect is entrusted to the typical products of the three towns: dishes from the Ciociaria peasant cuisine, mountain cured meats and cheeses, and homemade desserts. The market offers local crafts and agricultural produce from area businesses, in a spirit of short supply chains that is an integral part of the festival's message.

A place steeped in history

Campo del Popolo is no ordinary stage: this mountain area of the Alta Terra di Lavoro has been the scene of historical events since the uprising of 1799 and preserves the memory of figures and brigands who shaped the local imagination. Today, it is a beloved destination for hiking, picnics, and summer camping, and the August festival is its moment of greatest vitality.

In the green heart of Southern Lazio

For those visiting the Lazio region off the beaten path, the festival is an authentic experience: you can discover Terelle, a village of "good breath" perched above the valley; Casalattico, with its historical ties to emigration to Ireland; and Colle San Magno, a village included in the Ministry of Culture's revitalization projects. A Sunday in the mountains that tells the story of the truest Ciociaria better than many words.