Borghetto dei Fornaciari Festival

The festival of the brickmakers' village in Valle Aurelia

The Borghetto dei Fornaciari Festival is a community event that, every September, brings life and memory back to the Borghetto dei Fornaciari, the historic core of Valle Aurelia in Rome, located between St. Peter's and the Balduina area. This is no ordinary festival: it is a moment when the village's residents and associations gather to celebrate their popular roots in one of the capital's most evocative and lesser-known corners.

The Valle dell'Inferno and the ancient kilns

For over a century, this valley—once called Valle dell'Inferno (Hell's Valley) due to the heat of its kilns—was the realm of the fornaciari, the workers who produced lime and bricks in the area's eighteen kilns to build modern Rome. Arriving primarily from the Marche and Abruzzo regions, these workers and their families shaped a vibrant working-class community that thrived until the 1980s. Today, the village, immersed in the greenery of the Pineto Urban Regional Park managed by RomaNatura, preserves the memory of that history and is considered a rare example of industrial archaeology in the heart of the city.

What to expect at the festival

The Borghetto Festival focuses on conviviality and sharing. The heart of the event is the traditional food prepared by the local women, guardians of recipes passed down through generations, served among the alleys and old brickmakers' houses. Around the table, the rest of the festival unfolds:

• Creative market featuring local crafts and goods;
• Live music enlivening the afternoon and evening;
• Storytelling and memory sessions dedicated to the history of the brickmakers and their families;
• Guided walks and visits through the village and Pineto Park.

A local cultural project

The festival stems from the commitment of local organizations, gathered around the Valle dell'Inferno Association and other neighborhood groups, and is part of the cultural calendar supported by Roma Capitale (including the "Roma Creativa 365" program). It is a free-entry event designed as a community moment open to everyone: families, curious visitors, and enthusiasts of Rome's lesser-known history.

Why it's worth the trip

The Borghetto dei Fornaciari Festival is the ideal opportunity to discover an authentic and hidden side of Rome, in the Lazio region: a working-class village saved from oblivion, where the greenery of the Pineto frames the old kilns and where the food, music, and stories of the inhabitants restore the popular soul of Valle Aurelia. An intimate and genuine experience, far from the main tourist flows.