Ciaccietta Festival

A festival born from a home-cooked dish

The Ciaccietta Festival is one of the most cherished summer events in Ischia di Castro, a town in the province of Viterbo, in northern Lazio. At the heart of it all is the ciaccietta, a fried pizza that stands as a symbol of local culinary tradition: a simple dough, kneaded and fried on the spot, which has been enjoyed here for generations in family kitchens long before it ever appeared at festivals.

The event was born from this domestic custom and brought it into the public square, with teams of volunteers working between rolling boards and frying pans to serve hundreds of portions every night. It is a community-sized event, free of grand artifice, that thrives on word-of-mouth and local participation.

Savory or sweet: the ciaccietta in two versions

The uniqueness of the ciaccietta lies in its versatility. In its savory version, it pairs perfectly with cured meats, cheeses, and simple toppings, and is ideal for stuffing or eating just as it is—hot and freshly drained. In its sweet version, it becomes an impromptu dessert, served with a dusting of sugar: a variation that has won over the hearts of children over the years and is now an essential part of the festival's menu.

• Prepared in plain sight, fried to order
• Dual offerings, savory and sweet, at the same stand
• Service managed by local volunteers
• Open-air communal tables in the town center

Live music and evenings in the square

Beyond the food, the Ciaccietta Festival places great emphasis on evening entertainment. For the 2026 edition, the opening night featured the Purple Band, a five-piece group—Roberta, Vittorio, Fabio, Luciano, and Angelo—with a repertoire blending Italian and international rock and pop. Afterward, the DJ's music selection turned the square into an open-air dance floor, with the crowd lingering until late into the night.

It is a tried-and-tested formula: dinner at a leisurely pace, chatting at the tables, and then the evening naturally transitions into dancing. The audience is diverse, drawing in families, groups of friends, and many visitors from the surrounding Tuscia towns.

Discovering Ischia di Castro and the Tuscia region

Ischia di Castro is situated in a territory rich in history, nestled between Lake Bolsena and the Selva del Lamone forest, in an area marked by Etruscan civilization and the legacy of the ancient Duchy of Castro. The village retains a compact historic center with stone alleys and views of the Maremma countryside, making it a convenient base for nature excursions and archaeological visits.

Participating in the festival is an opportunity to connect with a part of Lazio that is often off the beaten path, where the cuisine remains deeply rooted in local products: olive oil, legumes, meats, bread, and leavened doughs like the ciaccietta itself.

Why it's worth a visit

For those seeking an authentic festival, free from filters and artificial staging, this is exactly what you will find: a town that organizes itself, a humble dish celebrated with pride, and two nights where the town square becomes everyone's living room. The success of the latest edition, highly praised by the local press, confirms the festival as a permanent fixture of the Ischia di Castro summer.