Colli Wine Road Festival

A village turned into a cellar

The Colli Wine Road is one of the most cherished food and wine events in southern Lazio. It takes place in Colli, a small village within the municipality of Monte San Giovanni Campano, in the province of Frosinone, in the heart of the Ciociaria region. For one weekend in September, the doors of private cellars, courtyards, and historic basements are opened to the public, connected by a walking route that winds through the entire village.

How the event works

The concept is simple and has remained unchanged for years: you start at the entrance of the village, pick up your glass, and follow the wine road from stop to stop. In each cellar, you can sample locally produced wines, often paired with Ciociaria-style dishes prepared by local families and volunteers. Along the way, you will find refreshment points, tasting stalls, and stands dedicated to purchasing local food and wine products.

• Cellars open from 6 PM until late at night
• Tastings of local wines and typical Ciociaria products
• Refreshment points serving traditional country-style dishes
• Live music performances in the village squares
• Stands for purchasing wine and local specialties directly

Music and atmosphere

Beyond the wine, the soundtrack is an integral part of the event: from pop music to traditional folk songs, local bands rotate throughout the village. The result is a joyful wandering across generations, as the organizers describe it: grandparents, families, and young people gathering in the same alleys, in a small village that comes back to life with color for two nights.

Organizers

The event is curated by the Oasi dei Giovani Cultural Association, a local group that involves volunteers of all ages in preparing the cellars, the setup, and the musical program. It is precisely this participatory and self-funded nature that gives the event its authentic character, far removed from large-scale commercial festivals.

The Ciociaria region

Monte San Giovanni Campano overlooks the Liri Valley with its medieval castle, famously linked to Saint Thomas Aquinas. The municipal territory stretches across hills cultivated with vines and olive trees, where wine production remains largely a family affair: many of the cellars participating in the Wine Road are private domestic cellars, opened to the public only for this occasion. Visiting the festival means stepping into homes and courtyards that are usually closed, and seeing firsthand how wine remains a communal bond here.

A late-summer tradition

Held in September, just before or during the grape harvest, the Colli Wine Road marks the perfect end to the summer festival season in southern Lazio. The cooler evenings, the lights in the alleys, and the slow pace of the walking route make it one of the best opportunities to discover a lesser-known side of the province of Frosinone. In 2025, the event reached its eighteenth edition, a sign of rare continuity for an event born from local grassroots initiative.