Bande in Festa

A town brought to life by music

Bande in Festa is the brass band festival that brings the center of Pescorocchiano, a town in the province of Rieti in north-eastern Lazio, to life at the beginning of June. For an entire afternoon, the town's streets become an open-air stage: bands arrive from various locations, line up, and march through the town, before gathering at concert venues to perform in rotation until the evening. It is a folk festival in the most authentic sense of the term, where music is not just listened to while seated, but encountered while walking.

The Cicolano and its brass band tradition

Pescorocchiano is located in the heart of the Cicolano, the mountainous area marking the border between Lazio and Abruzzo, a territory of scattered villages, castles, and chestnut forests. In these towns, the brass band has for generations been the primary music school accessible to everyone: one learned solfeggio at the association's headquarters, joined the ranks with a father's or uncle's instrument, and played at processions and patronal feasts. Bande in Festa was born from this legacy and breathes new life into it, connecting ensembles that share a repertoire, uniforms, and a sense of community that has little to do with traditional concerts.

The parade and concerts

The structure of the event is simple and well-established. In the late afternoon, the parade begins: each ensemble travels through the town center playing symphonic marches and parade pieces, while the audience lines the route and fills the balconies. In the evening, the focus shifts to the concert portion: each band presents its own program, with a repertoire ranging from military and processional marches to operatic transcriptions, film soundtracks, and arrangements of Italian pop music. The day brings together over one hundred and fifty performers, a number that is, for a town of only a few thousand inhabitants, a small event in itself.

Organizers

The event is promoted and brought to life by the Associazione Musicale Città di Pescorocchiano, an organization with roots dating back to 1979 and refounded in the mid-nineties, which is now also active in instrumental education for young people. The 2025 edition featured, alongside the hosts, the Banda Musicale Puccini di Cave, the Young Band Banda Città di Celano, and the Complesso Bandistico Ponte sull'Aniene from Anticoli Corrado and Roviano: a reach that unites the Aniene Valley, the Marsica region of Abruzzo, and the Rieti area.

What to expect

• Free admission to all phases of the event, including the parade and concerts.
• An event suitable for families, with afternoon and evening hours and outdoor spaces.
• The opportunity to hear a brass band repertoire rarely encountered in large cities up close.
• A chance to discover an Apennine village often off the beaten tourist track.

Around the festival

Those arriving in Pescorocchiano can take advantage of the day to explore the area: the numerous scattered hamlets of the municipality, the remains of medieval fortifications, and the trails that climb toward Monte Nuria and the Salto Valley. The area is also known for its chestnuts, which are the stars of a popular festival in the autumn, and for an essential mountain cuisine made of hand-rolled pasta, legumes, and grilled meats. A day in early June with the music of the bands is a great excuse to get to know this lesser-known part of Lazio.