Chiesuola Harvest Festival
Twelve free evenings featuring grain, vintage tractors, and the farming heritage of the Agro Pontino
About Harvest Festival
A festival born from the grain of the Agro Pontino
There is a place, just outside the center of Latina, where every July time seems to turn back seventy years: it is Chiesuola, a small farming village nestled in the reclaimed plains of the Agro Pontino. Here, along Strada della Chiesuola, the Harvest Festival has been celebrating for a decade what made this land what it is: the hard work in the fields, the families who arrived from Veneto and Emilia in the 1930s, and the slow rhythm of the seasons marked by sowing and harvesting.
This is not an event manufactured for tourists. It is a community festival, organized by the volunteers of the Chiesuola Social Promotion Association, which every year fills the festival area in front of the church with thousands of people from all over the province of Latina and the rest of Lazio.
The threshing re-enactment
The symbolic heart of the festival is the historical re-enactment of grain harvesting and threshing, performed with perfectly functional vintage equipment. Old threshing machines roar to life, straw flies through the evening air, and those who lived through those years share stories with the younger generation about how work was done before mechanization. It is a moment that attracts photographers, enthusiasts, and entire families every year.
Alongside the re-enactment, the static exhibition of vintage tractors and classic cars has become a staple: vehicles carefully restored by local collectors, which also parade through the village streets, sometimes even at night, with their headlights cutting through the darkness of the Pontine countryside.
Music, comedy, and evenings in the square
Every evening, from 6:30 PM onwards, the program comes alive. Dance schools and local sports associations kick off the evenings, followed by book presentations by local authors, debates, folk performances, and comedy shows. The stage hosts dance orchestras, cover and tribute bands from the Pontine province ranging from Italian pop to international rock, and cabaret nights featuring well-known names from the Roman and Lazio comedy scene.
For the little ones, there is a children's area with games, educational workshops, and baby dance, while adults challenge each other in traditional burraco, briscola, and foosball tournaments. There is no shortage of local wine and olive oil tastings, along with stands showcasing local businesses.
Flavors of the Agro Pontino
The festival's kitchen serves the genuine food of village fairs: traditional Lazio peasant dishes prepared by volunteers, typical products from the province of Latina, bread, cheeses, and local wines. All at popular prices, in an open-air dining area that serves as the true meeting place of the event.
A festival that does good
Alongside the conviviality, the Harvest Festival has always maintained a commitment to charity: part of the proceeds is donated to the Latina section of AIL, the Italian Association against Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma. A gesture that makes the public's participation even more meaningful.
Institutional recognition
The event is held under the patronage of the Lazio Region, the Lazio Regional Council, the Province of Latina, the Municipality of Latina, the Lazio South West Reclamation Consortium, and Confagricoltura Latina: a recognition of the cultural and identity value that this festival has assumed for the entire Pontine plain.
Why it is worth visiting
- Completely free admission for all twelve evenings
- An authentic agricultural re-enactment with functional vintage machinery
- Live music every night, no ticket required
- Family-friendly atmosphere, large free parking, dedicated children's area
- The chance to discover the rural and most authentic side of the Latina territory
Harvest Festival — edition 2026
Ten years of the Harvest Festival
The 2026 edition, the tenth, takes place from July 9 to 20 at the festival area on Strada della Chiesuola 108, in Latina. Twelve consecutive evenings, all with free admission, built around the farming memory of the Agro Pontino.
It starts on July 9 with the traditional vintage tractor parade accompanied by majorettes, and closes on July 20 with a cabaret show by Enzo Salvi. In between, a packed calendar: the Vespa Club rally, the Matteo Tarantino Orchestra concert, burraco, briscola, and foosball tournaments, World Cup match screenings, wine and oil tastings, and on July 19, the grain threshing re-enactment followed by a classic car exhibition.
As every year, part of the proceeds is donated to the Latina section of AIL. The event is supported by the Lazio Region, the Province of Latina, the Municipality of Latina, the Lazio South West Reclamation Consortium, and Confagricoltura Latina.
Programme Harvest Festival 2026
10th Edition Program — July 9 to 20, 2026
Every evening, activities begin at 6:30 PM, with performances by dance schools and local sports associations, book presentations by local authors, debates, folk shows, and static exhibitions of vintage tractors and classic cars. From 9:00 PM, the stage hosts dance orchestras, cover and tribute bands playing pop, rock, and Italian and international hits.
- Thursday, July 9 — Opening night with vintage tractor and majorette parade, starting at 8:00 PM
- Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12 — Vespa Club Rally
- Monday, July 13 — Matteo Tarantino Orchestra concert, from 9:00 PM
- Thursday, July 16 — Cabaret show with La Signora Gilda; burraco tournament
- Friday, July 17 — Briscola tournament
- Saturday, July 18 — Foosball tournament; night parade of vintage tractors from 8:00 PM
- Sunday, July 19 — Historical grain threshing re-enactment from 6:30 PM; classic car exhibition from 7:00 PM
- Monday, July 20 — Final night with a cabaret show by Enzo Salvi
Throughout the festival: children's area with games, educational workshops, and baby dance from 6:00 PM, dining area with traditional Lazio peasant dishes, local wine and oil tastings, local business stands, and World Cup match screenings.
Highlights Harvest Festival 2026
- 10th edition: ten years of the festival, twelve consecutive evenings
- Opening parade of vintage tractors with majorettes (July 9)
- Historical grain threshing re-enactment (July 19)
- Night parade of vintage tractors (July 18)
- Cabaret with Enzo Salvi (July 20) and La Signora Gilda (July 16)
- Matteo Tarantino Orchestra concert (July 13)
- Vespa Club Rally (July 11-12)
- Burraco, briscola, and foosball tournaments
- Fundraising for AIL, Latina section
Prices Harvest Festival 2026
Practical information — Harvest Festival
Where it takes place
Chiesuola Festival Area, Strada della Chiesuola 108, in front of the church — Chiesuola village, 04100 Latina (LT), Lazio.
How to get there
By car: from Rome, take the Via Pontina (SS148) to Latina, then follow signs for the Chiesuola village. From the A1 motorway, take the Valmontone exit and the SS600 to Latina. There is ample free parking near the festival area.
By train: Latina Scalo station on the Rome-Naples line via Formia; from there, you must continue by bus or taxi, as the village is a few kilometers from the city center.
By plane: Rome Fiumicino and Rome Ciampino airports, both about an hour's drive away.
Admission and hours
Free admission for all evenings. Activities generally start at 6:30 PM, with main shows from 9:00 PM onwards. The children's area opens around 6:00 PM.
Tips
Weekend evenings and those with comedy or popular concerts are the most crowded: it is best to arrive early to find a seat in the dining area. Bring a light sweater, as the Pontine countryside cools down after sunset. For accommodation, the city of Latina offers hotels and B&Bs just a few kilometers away, while the coast of Latina Mare and Sabaudia is about twenty minutes away by car.
Information
Official website: festadellamietitura.it — e-mail: [email protected] — Facebook page: Festa della Mietitura.
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