Christmas in the Village

A village Christmas in the heart of Abruzzo

Natale nel Borgo is the Christmas event program that brings Capestrano to life every year—a small village of just over eight hundred inhabitants nestled in the Tirino Valley, in the province of L'Aquila. Organized by the Pro Loco with the involvement of local associations, the festival transforms the alleys and squares of the historic center into a path of lights, music, and traditions that accompanies the community from the first days of December until Epiphany.

Capestrano, land of saints and warriors

Capestrano is a place steeped in history and symbolism. The town is world-renowned for the Warrior of Capestrano, the famous 6th-century B.C. funerary statue that has become an emblem of the entire Abruzzo region, and for the Convent of San Giovanni da Capestrano, linked to the Franciscan saint born in this village. The town is part of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, set in a landscape of springs, olive groves, and plateaus that makes the winter atmosphere even more enchanting.

A program between the sacred and the profane

The Natale nel Borgo calendar weaves together cultural moments, spirituality, and entertainment, with events designed especially for families and children. Recurring highlights of the festival include:

• Santa's House set up at the San Giovanni Convent, with activities dedicated to children;
• Readings and workshops for children in the village's cultural spaces, such as the Oil Museum;
• Musical and theatrical performances featuring traditional Abruzzese folk instruments;
• The evocative torchlight procession on horseback, blending the sacred and the profane, which travels through the town during the festive evenings;
• The Epiphany festival in Piazza del Mercato, with the arrival of the Befana to conclude the celebrations.

A community experience

More than just a single event, Natale nel Borgo is a way to experience the village during the most intimate time of the year: the lights on the stone portals, the scents of traditional gastronomy, and the warmth of the associations that bring every evening to life. For those visiting inland Abruzzo in winter, it is an opportunity to discover an authentic village in the Municipality of Capestrano, far from mass tourism, where Christmas celebrations still preserve the slow, communal pace of times past.